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LA Korean American church-community seminar looks for end to domestic violence

May 5, 2015

KFAM and Blue Cross of California Foundation hosted a seminar to discuss Korean faith-community partnership to end domestic violence at Garden Suite Hotel in Los Angeles Monday. (Korea Times)

By Kim Chul-soo

The Los Angeles Korean American community gathered for a seminar, “Church’s Response to Domestic Violence,” on preventing domestic violence Monday at Garden Suite Hotel, where emphasis was put on a cooperation between the church and local communities for help.

Led by Korean American Family Services and the Blue Cross of California Foundation, the seminar included Los Angeles County prosecutors, LAPD officers and Korean church leaders.

“Churches are often the first place Korean families turn to for help with domestic violence,” KFAM said on its site. “This conference will train (more than) 100 faith leaders to better respond to domestic violence by equipping them with knowledge and resources.”

KFAM said the event is part of its two-year effort to end domestic violence through a faith-community partenership.

Sohn In-sik, a former pastor of Bethel Korean Church in Irvine, Calif., said many victims of domestic violence turn to churches fro help. A stop to domestic violence starts not just with one organization but with cooperation between church, law and state organizations, he said.

Joann Lee, directing attorney of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Outreach unit of the city’s Legal Aid Foundation, said victims hesitating to report to authorities because of immigration status should know that they are guaranteed basic protection, including rights to obtain protection orders and to ask for custody of children.

The seminar attracted a crowd of about 150.