Teaching Immigrant Women & Gender-Based Violence: Make It Real, Make It Matter

Teaching about gender-based violence (GBV) can be heavy—but it doesn’t have to be passive. Want your students to truly engage? Here’s how to make the topic interactive, thoughtful, and empowering:

1.Start with a Story

Use real-life survivor stories or short videos to ground the issue in lived experience. Ask: What barriers did she face? What could have helped?

2.Role-Play for Perspective

Have students step into roles—survivor, social workers, immigration officials and navigate a case scenario. Then debrief on gaps in support systems.

3.Barrier Mapping

Split into small groups to explore challenges like language, legal status, or access to services. Each group proposes a solution.

4.Policy in Practice

Assign countries or states for students to compare GBV protections for immigrant women. What’s working—and what’s missing?

Big Impact: These activities help students move from awareness to action—exactly what global social work education is all about.

Chapter 14 of Social Work With Immigrants and Refugees, dives into the complex realities of gender-based violence (GBV) affecting immigrant women—exploring risk factors, cultural dynamics, and systemic barriers.

The chapter offers clear insights into types of GBV and practical guidance for social workers. To deepen learning, use the included case studies to spark rich classroom discussions and critical thinking. Use Case Study 1: Ana and Cristina to spark deep discussions and build empathy—helping students turn understanding into action.

CASE STUDY 1: ANA AND CRISTINA

Ana

Born in Mexico, Ana now lives outside a small city in the Midwest with her U.S. husband, Blake; their son, David, born in January 2005; and Cristina, Ana’s Mexican-born 15-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Ana entered the United States without inspection in March 2001. She eventually moved to this Midwest city, where she has worked various jobs so that she can send money to Mexico to help support her parents, siblings, and Cristina, who had remained in Mexico with Ana’s parents.

Ana and Blake met in September 2003 at work. They began dating soon after and fell in love. In January 2004, Blake proposed to Ana and promised to arrange for Cristina to come to the United States and to adopt her. Blake and Ana were married in February 2004. In March 2004, Ana asked Blake when Cristina could come live with them. Blake became very angry and insulted Ana for having had Cristina out of wedlock. He called Ana a whore and Cristina a bastard. He slapped Ana across the face and walked out of the house. He returned that night and apologized, promising that he would not hurt her again and that he would arrange for Cristina to come there as soon as possible. He also promised to file an I-130 relative petition for Ana so she could become a legal permanent resident. Ana accepted Blake’s apology and “things were fine” until the following month.

In April 2004, Ana became pregnant with David. Blake accused her of having slept with somebody else and said he was not the father. He began to punch her in the face, choke her, and strike her repeatedly in the stomach. Ana passed out and slept until the following morning.

During the next few months, Blake became very controlling of Ana and tried to isolate her from her friends. He made her go to work and come straight home; he did not permit her to go elsewhere unless he was with her. When Ana asked Blake when Cristina would be coming, Blake again called Ana and Cristina insulting names, punched Ana several times in the face, and told her to stop bothering him about it.

Cristina

Cristina finally arrived at the family’s U.S. home on December 1, 2004. She told her mother that a smuggler who said he knew Blake had brought her to the United States.

Blake refused to allow Cristina to attend school. Instead he got her a job and said that she had to turn over all her income to him, because he had made the arrangements for her to be brought to the United States, had paid his friend to bring her, and therefore she had to work off the debt. Prior to Cristina’s coming to the United States, Blake had never told Ana or Cristina about paying a smuggler or that Cristina would have to work for him and give him all her earnings.

Cristina continued to work and turn over her income to Blake. She became increasingly withdrawn and seemed frightened of Blake.

In September 2005, Ana asked Blake how much longer Cristina would have to work to pay back the money he spent to bring her to the United States. Blake became angry and told her that Cristina would work for him for as long as he said so.

They Access the System

In March 2006, Ana again confronted Blake about how long he expected Cristina to work for him. Blake beat Ana and then left the house. Ana took Cristina and David to a neighbor’s house. The neighbor brought Ana to you. The neighbor speaks Spanish; Ana does not say much but seems to speak Spanish too.

Questions

1.What would you do if you were the first-person Ana or Cristina approached? What services could you provide?

2.Who else do you need to help them? What other people or organizations could help in this scenario?

3.How would you communicate with Ana and Cristina? Who is most likely to be able to communicate with them well and get their story?

4.Do you think Cristina and Ana are eligible for immigration status? If so, what kinds of applications could they file? What could you do to help with this? Who else do they need to help them?

5.What kind of help may they need in the civil system? How can you help? Who else do you need to help with this? What might be helpful in a protection order?

6.How would you work with immigration attorneys if the need arises?

7.In what other ways can you help Ana and Cristina? Can you help both of them? Will there be ethical issues raised if you work with both of them?

When students explore GBV through active learning, they don’t just understand the issue—they feel its urgency. And that’s the first step to becoming a truly responsive practitioner.