Pittsburgh_Patrika_October_2015

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 21, No. 1, October 2015
Sakhi Serves South Asian Women in Distress
By Juginder and Dolly Luthra, Weirton, PA
Editor’s note: The Luthras recently attended the Sakhi Gala in New York City. They
have three daughters who grew up in Weirton and the Greater Pittsburgh area. Two of their
daughters, Rashmi and Namita, living in New York City, are involved with Sakhi. Rashmi
Luthra is a Board Member and Namita Luthra was the MC of the program.
As the number of immigrants from South Asia to the United States
increased over the years, so did the problems faced by the women who
came. Do you know that two out of five South Asian women face some
sort of domestic violence — verbal, physical, emotional, or financial?
Although the problems cut across the educational and financial strata,
the majority of women affected belong to first-generation, low-income
women who have limited resources and are unaware of their rights. They
are isolated from the local community and thousands of miles away from
the families they left behind.
Rashmi Luthra, extreme left, is the Board Member of Sakhi.
For addressing the problems faced by the victims, an organization,
appropriately named Sakhi, was founded in 1989 in New York
City by five South Asian women. Sakhi, in Sanksrit means “A Woman
Friend.” Its mission is to serve the needs of victims in distress from India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka as well as
South Asians from the Caribbean, and to end the violence against them.
Over the years, the organization has grown in number, in its reach and
financial strength. The organization helps the victims of domestic violence,
with legal, emotional, educational, vocational and financial support and
counseling. Scholarships are given to provide education.
The women in distress are provided with translation services by bilingual
experts and access to attorneys for legal issue. Sakhi has a helpline
25