I am a Hmong woman who was born and raised here in the United States. I can relate to this woman in so many ways as I too married young at the age of 14 and had experienced some domestic violence as well. I have experienced going through the clan system in solving my problems with my husband and to this day, it has worked for us in some ways. I found that mothers are effective mediators in conflicts and more understanding with the wife's situation. I also found that communication is key in our relationship. Before my husband will voice his concerns over the housework and meals but I find that if I am assertive in telling him about why I have been so busy, we usually work something out like cooking together or going out to eat. We currently have a 9 year old daughter and I have been able to finish high school, get an associate's degree, and pursue college. I have one year left until I get my BA in social work. I consider myself very fortunate to have come all this way from very similar socioeconomic situations like the Hmong woman in this broadcast. Thank you so much for doing a story on our community where speaking out is shamed and women's rights are not upheld by a patriarchal clan system. I believe that education is the key to understanding root causes of our community's domestic violence issues and I believe that when more Hmong get educated about domestic violence being as being a social problem, we can become more supportive of the victims.
Review of Tsim Txom: Domestic Violence in Hmong Society
Pang Yang
Posted on November 12, 2011 at 11:56 AM
I am a Hmong woman who was born and raised here in the United States. I can relate to this woman in so many ways as I too married young at the age of 14 and had experienced some domestic violence as well. I have experienced going through the clan system in solving my problems with my husband and to this day, it has worked for us in some ways. I found that mothers are effective mediators in conflicts and more understanding with the wife's situation. I also found that communication is key in our relationship. Before my husband will voice his concerns over the housework and meals but I find that if I am assertive in telling him about why I have been so busy, we usually work something out like cooking together or going out to eat. We currently have a 9 year old daughter and I have been able to finish high school, get an associate's degree, and pursue college. I have one year left until I get my BA in social work. I consider myself very fortunate to have come all this way from very similar socioeconomic situations like the Hmong woman in this broadcast. Thank you so much for doing a story on our community where speaking out is shamed and women's rights are not upheld by a patriarchal clan system. I believe that education is the key to understanding root causes of our community's domestic violence issues and I believe that when more Hmong get educated about domestic violence being as being a social problem, we can become more supportive of the victims.