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SAALT Releases Set of Issue Briefs
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ImmigrantR-@afsc.org
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Feb 04, 2008 12:51 PST
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http://saalt.org/empower_nj.html <http://saalt.org/empower_nj.html>
SAALT Releases Set of Issue Briefs about Experiences, Needs and Challenges Facing South Asian Communities in New Jersey
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is pleased to announce the release of A Community of Contrasts: South Asians in New Jersey, a set of issue briefs which provides demographic information, the results of a community needs assessment, and analyses of issues affecting South Asian communities in New Jersey.
"With the third largest statewide population of South Asians in the country, New Jersey's South Asian community experiences a range of challenges and obstacles," said Qudsia Raja, SAALT's New Jersey Outreach Coordinator. "We hope that the issue briefs will broaden information and resources about the experiences, needs, and challenges facing New Jersey's South Asians."
Some of the challenges addressed in the issue briefs include limited access to education, the courts, and health care due to linguistic and cultural barriers, as well as a steady rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and bias incidents.
For example, South Asian students are now among the top ten ethnic groups with the highest limited English proficiency enrollment statewide in public schools. And while languages like Gujarati and Hindi are among the top ones being used in state courts, there is a lack of qualified and trained interpreters.
SAALT's community-based partners in New Jersey, including Manavi, the Sikh Coalition, and South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey (SAMHAJ), have played a critical role in providing input and guidance in the development of the issue briefs.
"For many South Asians, including women in abusive situations who need the legal system to advocate on their behalf, inadequately trained interpreters can make a bad situation even worse," says Maneesha Kelkar, Executive Director of Manavi.
Aruna Rao, Director of South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey (SAMHAJ), emphasized the impact of linguistic barriers in the health arena "which can lead to an adverse effect on overall health, improper denial of health services, and individuals feeling reluctant to seek health care until a time of crisis."
Along with information about barriers faced, the issue briefs also provide recommendations to policymakers and community members. Recommendations made include ones focused on addressing bullying, harassment, and bias incidents. For example, in order to address the continuing impact of post 9/11 bias and more recent anti-immigrant sentiment, government agencies and policymakers need to meet regularly with community-based organizations and translate know your rights materials into more South Asian languages.
"New Jersey government agencies addressing bias incidents have been strong advocates for the community, and we hope to work with them further in addressing the concerns raised in the issue briefs," said Amardeep Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition.
The New Jersey Issue Briefs, made possible through the generous support of the Fund for New Jersey, can be downloaded from the sidebar on http://saalt.org/empower_nj.html <http://saalt.org/empower_nj.html>
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