In the last week of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Virginia Gittens Escudero, the Executive Director of UNIDOS. She shares the history of her anti-violence work and the role that UNIDOS plays in breaking barriers for Latinx survivors of domestic violence in Dane County through direct services and community education. 
They talk about the legal programs that are available to survivors in Dane County, like the support groups at UNIDOS and legal advocates at DAIS who support survivors navigate legal systems. UNIDOS serves the needs of the Latinx community through culturally specific approaches to SA and DV. They provide space for survivors to share their experiences in their language of choice and share information about topics like mandatory arrest, restraining orders and Visa eligibility on La Movida radio. 
They also talk about the Victims of Crime Act, flaws in the immigration system, human and labor trafficking, and misunderstandings about domestic violence. 
If you need help, you’re not alone. You can call UNIDOS La Red at 1-800 510-9195, reach out to DAIS by text at (608) 420-4638, or call Freedom, Inc at (608) 716-7324.

Virginia Gittens Escudero is the Executive Director at UNIDOS, a non-profit organization in Madison that provides advocacy, support, referral, and information to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking who identify as Latinx. Virginia Gittens has dedicated over a decade to serving survivors of domestic abuse and empowering individuals to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. Through her leadership and community work, she has helped organizations strengthen their victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive approaches. 
Before joining UNIDOS, Virginia worked for approximately seven years at the Legal Advocacy Program at Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, where she provided legal advocacy, support, and court accompaniment to victims of domestic violence in Dane County. During her time at DAIS, she worked on initiatives that advocated for effective responses to victims of domestic violence in Dane County, including the DAIS Court Watch Program, the Restraining Order Clinic, and the Dane County Courthouse. Virginia is a member of the Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence.
Featured image of Virginia Escudero and Dana Pellebon courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.
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