By CINDY VON QUEDNOW
EL NUEVO SOL
Every time María (fictitious name to protect her identity) gave birth, the father of her children threatened to kill her.
“I was with my (first) baby, I had left the hospital three days prior and I was breast feeding,” remembers María while crying. “The father of my children had a knife and he put it on my neck and when he grabbed my arm, I couldn’t move anywhere.”

By CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL Juanita speaks about her abusive relationship of almost 35 years as if it happened to someone else. That’s because after escaping from her husband in October 2008, she has become a completely different person. Her daughter Karla said that if she looks at photos of her mom from
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By CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL From the young age of 6, Francisco lived through difficulties of someone who is much older. When his mom left to the United States for work, he stayed behind in El Salvador. At the age of 3, Francisco joined his parents in Los Angeles. From the age of
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By VIRGINIA BULACIO EL NUEVO SOL The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, talks about domestic violence to a group of students at Fairfax High School Luis Hernández, who graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, came back to his school to attend the lecture of a politician offered to a group of young
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By CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL María had her first daughter in a car, without the help of a doctor or specialist. “There wasn’t light or water, or anyone who could help me,” remembered María, as tears rolled down her face. “The baby was hungry, her umbilical cord was still attached. Until someone saved
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Por CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL Read in English here. Desde la pequeña edad de seis años, Francisco vivió dificultades de una persona mucho mayor. Cuando su mamá se fue a trabajar a Estados Unidos, él se quedo atrás en El Salvador. A los tres años, él también se vino a vivir a Los
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Por CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL Read in English here. Juanita habla de su relación abusiva de casi 35 años como si le hubiera pasado a otra persona. Es porque después de haberse escapado de su esposo en octubre 2008, se ha convertido en una persona completamente distinta. Su hija Karla dice que si
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Por CINDY VON QUEDNOW EL NUEVO SOL Read in English here. María tuvo a su primera hija en un carro, sin la ayuda de un médico o especialista. “No había luz, ni agua, [ni] alguien [que] me ayudara”, recuerda María entre lágrimas. “La bebé tenía hambre, quedó colgada del cordón umbilical. Hasta que alguien nos
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By Summer H. Irby
EL NUEVO SOL
Every year on Nov. 27, the date of her wedding anniversary, Lourdes Navarro, 40, purchases a new pair of shoes. It is not a matter of embellishing her wardrobe. Rather, it is a symbol of celebration—marking her courage to walk away from an abusive marriage and to “stand on my own two feet.”