HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Noticing the signs and being able to identify someone who is in a life or death situation can be easy, but only if you know what you're looking for.
AshaKiran, a local nonprofit, is helping foreign-born men and women who are victims of domestic violence or human trafficking.
"AshaKiran is a crisis service nonprofit," Asha Kiran outreach coordinator, Cara Godlesky, explained. "We provide culturally sensitive services to those that have been affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking."
Abuse comes in many different forms, and looking out for your family and friends could save their life. Domestic violence isn't always physical; it can be financial or emotional as well.
If you're in a public place, keep a lookout for someone who might need help.
"There are many types of signs of abuse," Godlesky said. "You can look at if there's financial abuse, if somebody is withholding your money, your bank account cards, telling you how to spend your money. Of course there's emotional abuse, gaslighting, belittling, threatening behavior, and of course physical abuse."
AshaKiran volunteers offer help with people who may be faced with language barriers, and are unfamiliar with how to advocate for themselves when faced with a crisis. The nonprofit provides free training for bilingual or multilingual people who want to become professional interpreters.
If you want to volunteer or participate in free interpreter training, visit Asha Kiren's website.