SAN ANTONIO – Durga Suryadevara’s family moved from India to Cincinnati when she was 8 years old.

“I thought abuse was the norm, and it wasn’t until I was in high school that CPS got involved and we were actually able to get out of the situation. My mom is a superwoman, and she really brought us together and got us out of this situation,” the survivor-turned-advocate said.

Suryadevara said that in South Asian families, it’s not always the end because of the stigma.

That’s why, in addition to her work as a psychiatrist, Suryadevara became a volunteer client advocate with Awaazan organization helping survivors of South Asian domestic violence in Bexar County and seven surrounding counties.

“Validating their experiences, their feelings, their thoughts in a language that they feel comfortable in,” she said.

“India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, all these places have very similar cultures. They are all patriarchal societies. The male is the head of the family,” said Awaaz president Madhu Mehta.

Mehta and Suryadevara said the traditional structure can make it more difficult for an abusive partner or family member to leave.

“The community did not understand why a family had to be divided. Like, “Yes, you know, parents get angry sometimes, and spouses sometimes get angry. It’s not that bad. You just make it work. You just have to hold on,” Suryadevara said.

“We hear: ‘My mother-in-law doesn’t understand. She is also angry with me. They want me to do everything and keep peace in the family, and yet he mistreats me. Then we would understand and say, ‘Yes, we know,'” Mehta said.

Many survivors leave without support, which is why Awaaz has a helpline that connects callers to:

• Legal aid

• Customer advocates

• Shelter

• Food

• Rent assistance

• Educational Opportunities

All of these services can be accessed in someone’s native language.

“In India, we have Bengali, Gujarat, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi. I mean, I could go on. Pakistanis speak a lot of Urdu and Arabic. So we have interpreters that we can call on and say, okay, be there to interpret,” Mehta said.

Mehta herself speaks three Indian languages, including Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil.

She said that although almost all of their clients speak English, it makes a difference to speak their native language.

“You are able to express yourself much better,” Mehta said.

Establishing this trust has led to massive growth in customers.

• In 2021 – Six clients.

• In 2022 – 15 clients.

• In 2023 – 25 clients.

• In 2024 – More than 30 clients.

This growth is now fueled by their second federal grant.

Last month, Awaaz secured $400,000, which will help them expand needed services like housing or rental assistance.

“Giving rent to more people for a lot longer. Right now we can only do it for two or three months. So sometimes they have to rent for 4 or 5 months,” Mehta said.

Awaaz has significantly increased its visibility by prioritizing education and community engagement.

“We went to UTSA, took an all-day seminar there, went to Send Mary Law School and talked to the lawyers there. We have lunch with other rights organizations and city leaders,” Mehta said.

This is why they are able to expand their range of services.

“We maintain relationships with other organizations in the city, such as the Battered Women’s Shelter, Family Violence Protection Services, Texas Legal Aid, the Family Justice Center, the Texas Advocacy Project and the San Antonio Police Department,” Mehta said.

During these sessions, they can share that local South Asian women and men who have received help are thriving.

“A lot of times, clients are just very proud of their heritage and culture,” Suryadevara said.

Clients are relieved to learn that they can maintain that pride while ending unsafe relationships and changing the way abuse is perceived.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have the same kinds of problems as everyone else. Whether we choose to ignore them or not is up to us,” Suryadevara said.

That being said, they want to be clear: they help anyone who calls.

“We do not discriminate. We accept everyone who comes. We had, I think, about four men, a few elderly people and a few non-South Asians. To anyone who calls a helpline, we don’t say, ‘No, we’re not going to help you,'” Mehta said.

Anyone in need can call the confidential Awaaz helpline at 210-446-6464 or visit their website.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there has been a long resource list on KSAT Domestic violence pagewhich includes a description of what abuse is and how it gradually develops.

If you are in crisis, you can:

• call or text 911