Advocate stresses seeking help after 3 Latina deaths in Utah involve alleged domestic violence

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Esmerelda Gregorio, of Mujeres Unidas de Utah, understands the challenges Latina women face in seeking help to deal with domestic violence.
• Language barriers and concerns about migratory status hinder some from reaching out.
• But in the wake of the deaths of three immigrant women allegedly at the hands of their domestic partners, she stresses the importance of prioritizing personal livelihood.

WEST VALLEY CITY — For any woman experiencing domestic violence, speaking out and seeking help can be hard, says Esmerelda Gregorio.

For Latina immigrants, it can be even more difficult, in part because of language barriers they may face if they speak only or mainly Spanish.

"It's double, triple hard for a Latina person to just go there if they have the language barrier, so that's probably one of the biggest issues," said Gregorio, client service manager at Mujeres Unidas de Utah, based in West Valley City.

Add to that worries about falling onto the radar screen of immigration officials, given the ongoing federal crackdown on illegal immigration, she said, and the thought of seeking help is even tougher. If they don't have legal paperwork "that helps them feel safe to go to a police department and talk, they will not even approach those places. They worry. They're afraid."

In the wake of the deaths of three Latina immigrants in Utah dating to last July, allegedly at the hands of their domestic partners, Gregorio wants the community to know that help is out there. Notably, her organization — United Women of Utah in English — puts a focus on helping members of the Hispanic community, chiefly women, who face domestic violence.

"We speak Spanish. We understand their community. We understand their culture, the traditions. We understand the challenge when they come over here," she said. Beyond Mujeres Unidas, though, she said there are many other organizations around the state that can help, that have Spanish-speaking staffers, even if they don't overtly advertise the offering.

Either way, Gregorio, originally from Mexico, and Mujeres Unidas are on a mission to raise awareness within the Latina community about the availability of help for those facing domestic violence. They want to head off the sort of tragedies that led to the violent deaths of Lindha Zerpa Lara on April 17, Jeusselem Elieth Genes Vitola last February or March and Jaimar Bravo and her two young kids on July 18 last year, allegedly at the hands of their respective domestic partners.

Officials have released limited information surrounding the deaths of Zerpa, who lived in Herriman; Genes, who lived in Saratoga Springs; and Bravo and her two kids, who lived in West Jordan. All three were immigrants from Venezuela who had come to Utah in search of a better life.

But in the Zerpa case, they have said they suspect her estranged husband killed her before killing himself. In the Genes case, the woman was found dead in a trailer in Draper on March 2 and her husband, still at large, is charged with murder. In the Bravo case, the woman and her two kids, Georgina Valecillos, 14, and Giuliano Valecillos, 8, died in a fire allegedly set by her partner of 18 years, who also died in the blaze.

While not addressing the particulars of the three cases, Gregorio said Mujeres Unidas offers a range of services meant to encourage Latina women in need to reach out for help, to keep their situations from spiraling downward. The organization operates a food pantry, offers workshops on varied topics and therapy sessions. It can also connect those in need with resources, including legal services, provided by other groups.

One of the obstacles to getting help to those who need it, though — apart from language barriers and a wariness of drawing the attention of immigration authorities — is the community's reticence to seek assistance. It can be taboo to discuss topics like domestic violence, for one thing, Gregorio said. Moreover, if a woman is financially dependent on her husband, even if he's abusive, she may keep quiet, uncertain how she'd manage without his income.

Accordingly, when a woman seeks help, Mujeres Unidas takes a patient approach, advising clients to set aside money before potentially leaving their spouse, offering insights into how they might manage on their own, and more. It's all about education, letting women know they have options and standing by them through their ups and downs.

"We want them to feel that they are not alone. There are people willing to understand. It's not easy. We're not going to judge you and this is your safe space," she said.

Notably, Gregorio advises women suffering physical abuse to report it to the police and to regard their personal livelihood as a more important consideration than concerns about their migratory status.

"We want every person that comes over here to our office ... to understand that this is not about your legal or immigration status. This is about being a human and you need to get help," she said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Related topics

ImmigrationUtahSalt Lake CountyVoces de UtahPolice & Courts

Tim Vandenack

• 

Tim Vandenack covers immigration, multicultural issues and Northern Utah for KSL. He worked several years for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden and has lived and reported in Mexico, Chile and along the U.S.-Mexico border.