U.S. Newcomers hesitant to report domestic abuse By Norman Miller/ MetroWest Daily News 05/27/2006

Fear of husbands, fear of police and the specter of being deported are keeping immigrant women from reporting domestic abuse, advocates say. It’s a trend with deadly consequences.
   Illegal Immigrants in MA:
   The family and friends of a Framingham woman and child beaten to death with a hammer say the two were threatened by the woman’s husband, Jeremias Bins, for months. He even smashed a computer with a chair after one tirade and said he would kill her.
   But Carla Souza never reported any of the violence to police, and last Saturday, authorities say Bins killed Souza and her 11-year-old son, Caique, in their Framingham home.
   The funeral for Souza and her son is set for today. Bins, who police said confessed to the crime, is being held without bail.
   Domestic violence is an underreported crime in most populations, experts say, but within the immigration population, it is reported even less.
   "All of these things work to exacerbate someone’s hesitancy to pick up the phone and call the police," said Mary Gianakis, director of Voices Against Violence.
   Police say illegal immigrants should not be concerned about reporting crimes.
   "The police are generally not concerned with the immigration status of a victim," Framingham Lt. Paul Shastany said.
   To help educate women about their rights, Voices Against Violence has started a grassroots campaign to get the word out that help is available, Gianakis said.
   "We talk to the folks in the hair salons. We talk to the folks in the Dunkin’ Donuts. We find ways to introduce people to our services," Gianakis said.
   Carla Souza attended the Framingham adult English as a second language program, director Christine Taylor said, and her murder hit hard.
   But even women there said Souza may have caused her own death by calling police. "We had people saying, 'Poor Carla Souza. She called police and that pushed him to do what he did. She shouldn't have called the police,' " said Taylor. That’s sad."