“I was kicked out of the house in the middle of the night...”
“Then someone told me about the Sikh Family Center on Facebook...”
“I used to think I had to stay in this relationship because of my children, and then I began to believe I have to leave this relationship because of my children…”
Listen to the complete audio story in Punjabi
Sikh Family Center is honored to share a first-hand account from a survivor, narrated in her first language, Punjabi. As this young mother recounts her journey to safety, she intentionally passes on the wisdom she gained to support other girls and women facing similar situations. She speaks about experiencing pregnancy abuse, spiritual abuse (being prevented from saying Waheguru during beatings), and in-law abuse. She reflects on her many attempts at making her marriage work, the challenges she faced once she decided to leave, and the courage it took to plan and complete a safe exit from the abuse.
Without Sikh Family Center, many such Punjabi-Sikh survivors have nowhere safe to turn.
Without your help in sustaining our Urgent Action Fund, we won’t be able to increase these survivors’ access to basic needs as they work their way towards some stability and safety.
What is an Urgent Action Fund?
Our Urgent Action Fund was created to address access to financial assistance, providing critical safety needs during the most dangerous times for survivors, such as separation and post-separation–that is immediately when someone has left a very volatile, violence situation, when the risk of relation and even death is statistically most heightened.
In 2025, critical resources for survivors are closing one by one - domestic violence shelters and hotlines, reproductive care clinics, mental health services, and sexual violence prevention programs - the needs to build and sustain these reserves is NOW.
How does your timely financial support make a difference?
Every contribution, big or small, helps us create a safer, stronger community.
- $150: Supports safe round trip transportation to attend court hearings.
- $300: Provides groceries and household essentials for a family in crisis (atta, dals, rice, ghee, spices, baby formula, personal hygiene)
- $500: Covers one-night emergency hotel stay and meals for a survivor of domestic violence seeking safety with their child.
What types of calls has Sikh Family Center responded to?
Punjabi-Sikh survivors, their loved ones and community members are calling our Helpline, which reflects the growing need for comprehensive services by and for the community.
Between Jan 2025 to present, Sikh Family Center’s National Helpline fielded calls from 21 U.S. states:
What are the types of ways Sikh Family Center's National Non-Emergency Helpline has supported the community?
- Safe Communication A young mother facing familial abuse bravely reached out to keep herself and her child safe. Together we practiced how to stay calm to avoid heated arguments, explored trusted family members to reach out to, and discussed steps if she were to have recurring thoughts of self-harm.
If you, or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please remember help is always available – call 988 for immediate support.
- Empowering Our Sangats When Singhs reached out for guidance on how to stand with a survivor of domestic violence, we discussed the importance of thinking through how to keep her safe, honoring her agency, and listening without judgement, while connecting her with trusted local agencies to build a circle of support. With the support of generous local community sevadars, we coordinated delivery of groceries and everyday essentials for survivors of domestic violence.
- Navigating Lethality Risks Walked through the danger assessments for Sikh/Punjabi women with a young mother, opening the door to some difficult truths such as the fact that the presence of a gun in the home makes it five times more likely a woman facing domestic violence will be killed. The hope is that with every conversation, no matter how hard, we can walk towards safety together.
- Parenting with Care A parent, overwhelmed with worry for their child, was met with empathy, and together through gentle conversations with the peer counselor, explored professional supports for a healthier family future.
- A Journey of Healing A young mother, a survivor of physical, financial/economic abuse,- looking to reclaim her life after being abandoned by her husband, shared her struggles and hopes, finding much needed support in the form of local resources to regain her independence and health.
- Courageous Youth A young adult, courageously taking steps to protect their family, found a safe space to process their concerns with a compassionate peer counselor, connecting them with relevant resources to lead their family–siblings and other relatives– through the uncertain times that involved many legal systems that can often be confusing and even retraumatizing
Want to Ensure Survivors Know They Can Rely on Us, Their Community?
Become a monthly donor!
This is the one certain way for us to know we can continue providing support to more survivors (and for us to spend time providing services, rather than raising money!)
Your ongoing contributions offer renewed hope and healing for those living with family violence and trauma across the U.S..
