On October 26, 2006 India passed an expanded Domestic Violence Protection Act. This new law covers physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse, and extends protection to live-in partners and other female family members. To learn more about this historic act, visit: "India tackles domestic violence".

Urmi Saraiya is a Social Worker who has been in Seattle since 1979. She has worked at Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Tumor Clinic, and Swedish Hospital-Ballard Campus. She currently has a private practice in Shoreline. She has always been passionate about working with women and children, wanting to empower them in their journey. She is very excited to be part of the Chaya family.

Meena Vashee has been involved in community activism over the last decade, focusing on domestic violence awareness and education programs in the Puget Sound Area through her involvement with the Women's Center at the University of Washington and local organizations. She has established a scholarship for undergraduate students at the University of Washington who have been impacted by domestic violence.

This fall Chaya said goodbye to two wonderful staff members. Uma worked as Chaya's Community Mobilization Coordinator for over two years, and is now pursuing her interest in development and fundraising. Amber was a Chaya Advocate for four years and will be traveling for the next year. We will miss them very much. Chaya is pleased to introduce Natasha, our new Advocate, and Charu, our new Community Mobilization Coordinator. Natasha has been actively involved with the Pakistani community both nationally and in the Northwest, where she has coordinated and spoken at various inter-faith fundraisers. Charu has extensive experience working in the field of domestic violence, including working as a Chaya Advocate from 2000 to 2003. We are also pleased to introduce Nitika Raj. Nitika is in the Masters in Social Work program at the UW and is doing her practicum internship with Chaya. Nitika brings experience in violence prevention training and in direct service for survivors of violence. Her work with Chaya will focus on the Community Mobilization and Volunteer programs. Welcome Natasha, Charu and Nitika!

Since joining Chaya in September of 2006, I have been amazed at the strong principles and ethics that people in the domestic violence activist community operate from. It has become clear to me that Chaya has the opportunity to address some great challenges in the coming years. As a newly instated member of the domestic violence activist community, each action I perform and every interaction with the world brings a new awareness and responsibility. Now my thoughts revolve around wondering, 'what does it mean to stand up against violence', and 'how can I no longer be part of oppressive systems?' I look forward to the opportunities of growth I will continue to experience and the many more inspiring people I will encounter here at Chaya.

On October 1, 2006, as a part of Tasveer's Third Independent South Asian Film Festival, Chaya sponsored 'Me and the Mosque,' a documentary by Zarqa Nawaz exploring the politics of gender segregation in Sunni mosques across North America. The film includes interviews with Islamic scholars, community leaders and women's activists along with historical context of the role of women in Islam. The screening was followed by discussion with guest speaker Itrath Syed, a feminist and Muslim activist who shared her experiences as a Muslim woman negotiating contradictions within her own community. Chaya volunteer Sahar Romani moderated the discussion.

On September 30, 2006, the Peaceful Families Task Force conducted a seminar on Effective Communication. The seminar provided opportunities to reflect on personal styles of communication as well as suggestions for improving communication skills. The seminar also addressed conflict within families and how our ways of communicating can affect those situations. Twenty-five members of the community attended, ranging in age from 17 to 60, which made for a rich and lively discussion!

On May 17, 2006, Chaya participated on a speaker panel at the Domestic Violence Forum hosted by Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc. to raise awareness in the University of Washington community. The audience included one hundred Asian/Asian American female and male students.

On May 1, 2006, Chaya volunteers and staff marched in solidarity for immigrant rights. For more information about advocating for comprehensive immigration reform please visit www.hatefreezone.org.

On June 17, the banquet hall of the Hilton Seattle was filled to the brim for Chaya's 10th Anniversary Dinner and Auction -- a sold-out event with 340 attendees whose generosity helped raise over $120,000 for the organization. In addition to the auction being a remarkable success in terms of raising both funds and awareness, it was also a celebration marking the founding of Chaya 10 years ago. The event was held in the spirit of honoring Chaya, its supporters through the years, and its continued commitment to helping South Asian survivors and families impacted by domestic violence and abuse. The night began with a silent auction featuring a wide array of items including paintings from local artists, gift certificates to Seattle cafes, and crafts from highly skilled artisans. After dinner guests were invited to bid on decadent desserts and other unique live auction items, such as feasts prepared by chefs in the bidder's own home, weekend getaways, and beautiful antique Indian jewelry and clothing. Larry Taylor's lively, energetic auctioneer style kept guests laughing and bidding. Towards the end of the night, a survivor of domestic violence gave a poignant speech, sharing her powerful story with the audience, who listened intently. Afterwards, many of the guests came together as a community to raise as much money as possible on the last few items. And in an outpouring of support for Chaya, there were countless donations made for no prize at all, making this auction the most successful yet.

Many immigrants who experience domestic violence or abuse face challenges when trying to access support services and information about their legal rights due to a language barrier. Agencies are often not equipped to provide interpreters or translated informational materials. At Chaya we affirm the inherent value of providing services, support and information to survivors in their first language. In order to improve access to services for limited-English-speaking survivors of domestic violence and abuse across the state, Chaya participates in the steering committees of the Multilingual Access Project (MAP) and the Washington State Coalition for Language Access (WASCLA).

89 women were served (of whom 58 were new clients). 2991 calls were made to the helpline: 1573 from clients; 1217 from service providers; 201 requests for information or referrals.

Please join us on November 11, 2006, from 11am - 2pm, at the Flying Fish Restaurant in downtown Seattle for a delicious brunch to benefit Chaya. The brunch features fare by award winning Chef Christine Keff, including vegetarian and vegan options, along with chai, coffee and mimosas. Don't miss the premiere of Chaya's first public service announcement! Please contact Chaya at chaya@chayaseattle.org for more information on this event.

This interactive training session covers domestic violence, the diverse challenges faced by immigrant communities and the need to build cultural awareness, and Chaya's philosophy of anti-violent activism. Space is limited: to sign up, please email chaya@chayaseattle.org. Effective Summer 2006, all prospective Chaya volunteers must attend a volunteer training before being able to serve on one of Chaya's committees.

Chaya's fondest kudos:
• to PSA scriptwriters Sharleen, Dolly, and Nitika for their hard work writing and revising the script, conducting focus groups, and making casting decisions.
• to filmmaker Rita Meher and her amazing production crew, Sanjeev, Priya, Brandon, Rohit, Sukhi and Ryan, for camera work, lighting, sound, set-up, and more!
• to Sahar Romani for her invaluable contributions to Peaceful Families Task Force, including her skilled moderation of the discussion following "Me and the Mosque."