The Pervasiveness of Gender-Based Intimate Partner Violence Among Latinx Community College Students

• In Event: Beyond Enrollment: Latinx Belonging, Resilience, and Justice in Higher Education

Abstract

This study examines the prevalence of gender-based intimate partner violence (GIPV) among Latinx students at a large Midwestern community college, drawing on data from the 2024 Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey. Using intersectionality and LatCrit frameworks, this research highlights how intersecting identities, such as age, gender, and citizenship, relate to experiences of GIPV and reporting. Findings reveal high rates of abuse among intersectional Latinx community college students, such as Latinx women, and underscore persistent barriers in the literature, like language access and fears of deportation. This descriptive quantitative study underscores the urgent need for culturally responsive, multilingual support services and survivor-centered policies to effectively address every form of gender-based intimate partner violence affecting racially minoritized students in higher education.

Author

• Karla Velasco, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign