Immigrant Woman A, Suffering from Husband's Violence, Finds New Life with Help from Dobong-gu

In January this year, a domestic violence report led to the immediate rescue of migrant woman A and her two children
Currently starting a new life as 'Dobong ○ssi' in a new home...Support planned for job training programs to aid social settlement

"I sincerely thank the many agency officials who helped me escape a life without a single ray of light."

This is the statement of migrant woman A, who escaped the pain of domestic violence.

Migrant woman A legally obtained a Korean name this March, about 15 years after coming to Korea. She first arrived in Korea in 2009 and has two children. However, her married life was far from smooth. Continuous violence from her husband caused not only physical bruises but also mental illness. The violence extended to the children as well. Unable to endure it any longer, A sought help from the Dobong-gu Family Center in January this year.

The Dobong-gu Family Center immediately intervened. After presenting A’s case at the Chang 5-dong integrated case meeting, they discussed victim support measures together with Chang 5-dong Resident Center, Dobong Police Station, Housing Welfare Center, and Seoul Northern Crime Victim Support Center.

After several meetings, they decided to separate migrant woman A and her children from her husband and began providing support accordingly. First, they arranged temporary shelter at a facility for crime victims. To help restore her severely damaged mind and body, they coordinated with hospitals and proceeded with treatment. Considering that A is a migrant woman, the center appointed Kim Woo-bin, a staff member of the center, as the case manager to assist with communication.

Legal measures were also taken. Following A’s will to escape her husband and find a new life, with support from the police station and the Crime Victim Support Center, they proceeded with a name change application and divorce lawsuit.

Currently, the husband is incarcerated in a detention center, and A has established a new home with her children at ‘○○ Housing,’ connected through the center. A has obtained Korean nationality as well as the family name ‘Dobong ○.’ Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, "I thank the various agencies that actively stepped forward to help migrant woman A. Now that she has obtained a surname with Dobong as her bon-gwan, we will do our best to support her in Dobong-gu."

It took three months to escape domestic violence and regain a whole life. This was thanks to the efforts of the center and local agencies. Kang Jin-ah, Director of Dobong-gu Family Center, said, "At the time of intervention, A was in a high-risk and crisis situation, so it was not easy, but through the dedicated efforts of the case manager and public-private cooperation, we were able to resolve the difficulties."

The center plans to continue support through the ‘Whole Family Care Project’ to help A’s stable social settlement. The Whole Family Care Project is a program that helps vulnerable, crisis, and emergency care families restore family functions and achieve emotional and economic independence.

They will support A to design her own settlement process and develop self-reliance skills such as exploring related services. They also plan to provide vocational training programs to help A enter suitable and promising occupations by leveraging her strengths. Additionally, emotional stability counseling and career support programs for her children will be provided to promote their healthy growth.