Atlanta organization helps immigrants and refugees leave abuse and rebuild their lives

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Advocates for survivors of domestic abuse are calling attention to the challenges survivors who are immigrants face and the importance of making help available year-round. Language barriers, financial dependence and fear over immigration status can make it harder for immigrants and refugees to leave abusive relationships.One survivor who spoke with Atlanta News First said leaving meant finding a way to protect her family.She spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her safety and that of her children. Originally from Africa, she said her former husband moved to Nebraska, where he began abusing her. “He was abusing me first, and when he started abusing the kids physically, I could not take it anymore. I did not want to see my kids go through that. Because if I tried to beg him to stop, he was gonna hit me and I did not want my kids to see him hitting me,” she said.One night while he was away, she and her children boarded a bus to Georgia in sear