Keynote Speaker: Dina Refki is Director of the Fellowship on
Women & Public Policy, a women’s leadership development program of the
Center for Women in Government & Civil Society (CWIGCS). CWIGCS is a
research and public policy education center at the Rockefeller College
of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany. She also serves as
Director of Immigrant Women & State Policy at CWIGCS, a program that
aims to strengthen policy responses to the needs of immigrant women and
their families in New York State through research, education and policy
analysis. She teaches world History, women’s studies and immigration
studies. Dina holds a doctorate in Humanistic Studies, a Master of Arts
in Africana Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in English. Her research
interests include gender equity and feminist movements.
The Domestic Violence 2008 Regional Conference entitled “Options for
Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence: Serving Farm Worker Women”
brings together diverse groups of law enforcement and human service
providers to address the unique situation that confronts migrant and
season agricultural women who are victims of sexual and/or domestic
violence. Recent changes to immigration laws and regulations
have opened opportunities for women in these situations to obtain legal
documentation allowing them to live and work in New York State.
However, these rules and regulations have also become more complex.
Rural law enforcement and human service providers often have the
first contact with victims of sexual and domestic violence, but all too
frequently receive little training in these intricate regulations.
Knowing the available options and understanding the cultural context
behind this abuse can have a life-altering effect on immigrant women and
their families.
Michele Henriques of the International Institute of Buffalo and Carole
Livsey of the Victim Resource Center of the Finger Lakes are experienced
immigration attorneys and will lead the seminar in examining the recent
changes to immigration laws regarding u-visas (for victims of violence)
and t-visas (for victims of human trafficking). Owen Thompson of
Farmworker Legal Services of New York is a nationally known trainer on
the issues of human trafficking and will conduct a session on the then
New York State regulations regarding human trafficking and its link to
victims of domestic violence. A panel of human service providers
from the Victim Resource Center and Farmworker Legal Services will join
the speakers in a discussion of the barriers to service and how to
provide culturally sensitive services. The session will focus on
insuring that women victims of domestic and sexual violence are not
re-victimized as they seek services.
Presentations:
T-Visas: From Rescue to Filing
.
T-Visa visas are available to individuals who are victims of "a severe
form of trafficking in persons." Severe forms of trafficking include
sex trafficking of persons under 18 years of age, or recruiting or
obtaining persons for labor or services through the use of force, fraud,
or coercion "for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude,
peonage, debt bondage, or slavery."
Michele Henriques, Esq.
U-Visas: What are they & How to get Law
Enforcement Certification? U-visas are available to
immigrants who are either victims of or who possess information
concerning one of the following forms of criminal activity: rape,
torture, trafficking, incest, domestic violence, sexual assault, abusive
sexual contact, prostitution, sexual exploitation, female genital
mutilation, hostage holding, peonage, involuntary servitude, slave
trade, kidnapping, abduction, unlawful criminal restraint, false
imprisonment, blackmail, extortion, manslaughter, murder, felonious
assault, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, perjury, or attempt,
conspiracy, or solicitation to commit one of these offenses. A federal,
state, or local official must certify that an investigation or
prosecution would be harmed without the assistance of the immigrant or,
in the case of a child, the immigrant's parent. -
Carole C. Livsey, Esq.
Human Trafficking 101: Defining
Trafficking and Related Laws & Regulations. Identifying trafficked
persons: What are the indicators of trafficking? What
happens after a person is identified as a victim of trafficking?
Options for Relief and Recovers: Roles of service provides, legal
providers and law enforcement. -
Owen Thompson
Working with Sexual Assault & Domestic
Violence Victims: Panel discussion regarding the barriers in
assisting victims, problem-solving and resolving issues of concerns
especially with regard to the cultural and language barriers. A
discussion of issues where families may have one or more undocumented
members. Panel includes: Alina Diaz, Cynthia O. Liberio,
Michele Henriques, Esq.,
Ramona Palmer,
Carole C. Livsey, Esq. and
Cheryl Gee
Conference Planning Committee:
Cheryl Gee,
Yolanda Villa
Peg Billyard
Need overnight accommodations?
Click HERE!
Thanks to our Sponsors - Conlon & Company and
the Victim Resource Center of the Finger Lakes!
