The National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project  (NIWAP) is currently offering free technical assistance to organizations serving Immigrant and Refugee Survivors of Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking through a partnership with the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women and Legal Momentum. 

NIWAP offers technical assistance, training, and written materials to advocates, attorneys, social services and health care providers, justice system personnel and other professionals who encounter battered immigrant women, immigrant victims of crime, sexual assault or trafficking in their work.  NIWAP director, Leslye Orloff, has over 30 years of experience in advocating for immigrant rights, identifying and recommending solutions to systematic barriers.

NIWAP provides technical assistance to organizations, not individuals. They cannot provide direct services or consultations to individuals.  Organizations are encouraged to call for assistance in offering better services for immigrant victims.

Technical assistance covers the following topics:

• Legal rights of immigrant women and children and victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other crimes;
• Family Law: Special issues that arise in family court cases involving immigrants including protection orders, custody, child and spousal support, divorce, termination of parental rights, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status;
• Access to Public Benefits and Victim Services: Immigrant access to federal and state-funded public benefits, health care, housing, educational benefits, victim services, and the civil and criminal justice systems;
• Immigration Options for Immigrant Crime Victims: Violence Against Women Act, U  visa crime victim, T visa trafficking victim relief, U visa certification, building collaborations with law enforcement, courts and other government agencies that result in U visa certification, and improved language access to justice system assistance;
• Language Access: Improving access for limited English proficient women, children and crime victims to assistance from police, prosecutors, courts, victim services, and the justice, health care and social services systems;  
• Referrals to programs nation-wide with experience and expertise serving immigrant crime victims; 
• Trainings and training materials on legal rights and culturally and linguistically accessible services; and
• Strategies for state, local or federal systems policy advocacy and for cases of individual immigrant clients.

Web Library and Directory of Service Providers:

NIWAP maintains an extensive web library of materials they have developed over the years, including manuals, brochures in several languages, benchcards, screening tools, sample legal documents, training materials, research and journal articles, and more.  These materials are available for download and free to use.  Get started at niwaplibrary.wcl.american.edu.

NIWAP has also developed a comprehensive state-by-state Directory of Service Providers with experience serving immigrant victims of violence.  Access this directory at www.niwap.org/directory to search for service providers in your state or identify organizations in other states you may wish to refer to your clients.  Also be sure to check that your organization is represented in the Directory and that its information is up to date.

For information on upcoming training and webinars, visit www.niwap.org/training