MUJER: A Refuge from Abuse in Rural South Florida

For Susan Rubio Rivera, who grew up in rural South Miami-Dade County, founded MUJER and has served as  executive director since its inception, sexual abuse and domestic violence are personal. From the age of five, she watched as her alcoholic father brutally beat her mother.  Week after week the ritual persisted until Susan’s mother, beaten bloody and wearing only her underwear, took Susan and her sisters and fled to her parents’ home. There, her grandfather ruled with an iron fist and a strong sense of entitlement.   Susan and her sisters became his servants by day and his victims by night as he molested them one by one.

Years later, having formed a support group of Hispanic women from diverse backgrounds, Susan discovered that although the members represented a variety of cultures (Mexican, Mexican American, Cuban, Ecuadorian Costa Rican, and more), many shared one common ordeal: abuse.  Yet the nearest services for victims were 30 miles away, in Miami.  In that support group Susan’s dream of rescuing women from brutality and helping them build a safe, secure life was born.  Since 1997, MUJER – Women United in Justice Education and Reform – has been a haven from domestic violence and sexual abuse for the Hispanic women and children of South Dade.

In this impoverished community of laborers from Mexico and other Latin American countries, fifty-six percent earn less than $3,000 a year, and many have no more than a fifth grade education.  Abuse -- physical and sexual  -- is rampant. Yet the pervasive culture dictates acceptance, silence and a blind eye.

“Our culture said if you’re married you have to stay in this relationship,“ said Susan, whose father and grandfather were farm workers. According to cultural dictates, a woman could live with her parents or her husband, but never on her own. If she married an abusive man, too bad.  

Moreover, she added, “Whatever happened at home stayed at home. Society accepted, Nobody was going to interfere even if they knew. Even if [a woman] had been screaming and yelling, nobody would have interfered because it wasn’t OK to interfere.”

With MUJER, Susan set out to establish a new norm, and with a $20,000 grant from the Governor’s office on domestic violence, MUJER began to educate the community.  They went into the middle and high schools and talked about healthy relationships and dating violence.  They reached out to the adults as well.  They developed a series for couples on building  successful relationships,  communication, sexuality and intimacy – subjects that were unheard of in these communities. For parents, discussion focused on the laws governing physical and sexual abuse  and how to discipline children effectively without beating them.   

To entice attendance, they held the sessions close to where the participants lived – in backyards, community centers and church parking lots.  They provided childcare, served dinner, and offered a $100 stipend to anyone who attended all 10 classes.  At the end, they celebrated completion with a ceremony and certificates.  For some who attended, this was the first certificate of any kind they had ever received, and it was a very big deal.  Both courses drew 90% attendance, and they were transformative.

Toward the end of the couples’ classes, one of the participants called to say she and her husband were celebrating their anniversary and asked for help making a certificate for him.  Meantime, her husband bought flowers to present to his wife in class.  Susan reported that this macho Mexican man stood before the class and told his wife, “There are only 11 roses in this bouquet because you are the 12^th rose.”

With additional grant money, MUJER expanded their program to offer victim advocacy and individual counseling.  Within half a dozen years, MUJER had developed a family violence prevention network – 10 core organizations which work together to provide comprehensive services including law enforcement,  daycare,  after school programs, emergency assistance, housing and more.  More than a loose affiliation of community organizations, this is a formal working collaborative that meets regularly and partners on grants.  In addition, MUJER works with at least 25 other organizations on an unofficial collaboration. For example, the South Dade Skill Center, an arm of the Miami-Dade County School Board, provides academic and vocational training. WeCare offers assistance paying utility bills. Carrfour Supportive Housing provides emergency shelter   

Today, MUJER’s clinical department offers individual and group counseling.  A team coordinator together with the client identifies all the services the client and her children need. The coordinator then connects the family to appropriate resources and meets regularly with the team to discuss progress and needs.  Needs vary among families and might include a church pastor, school counselor, or other agency.  For example, Legal Aid can help a survivor of domestic violence secure a restraining order and can provide the legal services associated with divorce, child custody and property rights.  If the client is a  battered immigrant, she is  referred to VIDA for help getting permanent residency for herself and her children.  A victim’s advocate helps the client understand her rights, supports her as she traverses the judicial system, helps to keep her safe from her perpetuator and meets a variety of other needs.   Physical and spiritual wellness rounds out the program. 

Ana Obregon, herself a product of the migrant worker community and a survivor of domestic violence, currently works as MUJER’s care coordinator and director of community education.  While she praises the comprehensive care MUJER provides its clients, she says its most valuable services are the self esteem and sense of empowerment it brings to its clients.  These qualities emerge, she says, during the process of listening to the women, accepting them for who they are without judging them, validating their experience, and offering them encouragement and support as they work through their issues.  Self-worth is further reinforced when they see that their advocate is available to them around the clock, taking them to court and answering their calls at any hour of the day or night.

“We don’t just take a victim and try to help them by taking them by the hand. We show them. We empower them,” she said.

Susan illustrates this empowerment with the story of a mother whose son was molesting his sister. Susan told the mother that the law required reporting the behavior to the police and offered the mother the opportunity to make the call.  If the mother made the call herself, it would be better for the children.  If Susan made the call, the boy would be arrested and the girl would be taken into foster care.   Difficult though it was, the mother took Susan’s advice. Although the son was picked up by the police, he was placed in a special program where he received treatment. The daughter also received therapy and was permitted to remain at home with her mom.

Empowerment is further enhanced when the clients are encouraged to give back to the community. Several, for example, worked with Catalyst Miami on a Penny Wise campaign to preserve vital community services. They addressed the County Commission, told their stories, and explained why MUJER deserved continued funding.

In the 15 years that MUJER has been operating, the people of South Dade have grown less accepting of abuse.  In 2011, MUJER embraced 908 new clients.  While the organization does get referrals from other agencies, 68% walked in on their own.

MUJER’s  full-time staff  includes six direct service providers, two victims’ advocates and one intern. In addition, four therapists work 30 hours a week on contract.  Clients receive services for free. 

Annual budget is about $800,000, but the collaborative relationships described above effectively stretch those dollars three fold. Funding comes principally from grants.  In addition, Legal Aid and VIDA rent space in MUJER’s Naranja offices, providing some income to MUJER and one-stop shopping for clients.  Still other income comes from providing domestic violence workshops to the Children’s Home Society and therapy to TRICARE, which provides healthcare services to the military.  Additional revenue raising initiatives are planned for the future.

MUJER

27112 S. Dixie Highway
Naranja, FL  33032.
P.O. Box 900685
Homestead, Florida
305-247-1388
www.mujerfla.org