Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

The Asian Task Force Against domestic Violence (ATASK) was incorporated in 1992 to address the gaps in services for Asian domestic violence survivors in the Greater Boston and Lowell areas, including low-income immigrants with limited English language capabilities.  A United Way-affiliated agency, our mission is to prevent domestic violence in Asian families and communities and to provide hope to survivors.

Since 1994, ATASK has operated New England’s only multilingual emergency shelter, as well as advocacy services, education programs, and outreach for Asian domestic violence survivors.  With over forty distinct Asian languages and cultures represented in the Greater Boston and Lowell areas, linguistically and culturally accessible resources are vital to our ability to provide outreach, education, prevention, and direct services to the many families in need in Asian communities.

Our advocates – all of whom are bilingual Asians – deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate care that best addresses the needs of our clients. Staff provide services in the following languages, in addition to English: Arabic, Bangla, Cantonese, Chiu Chau/Teochew, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Mandarin, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Thai, Taishanese, Taiwanese, Toisanese, Urdu, and Vietnamese (as of October 2022) and we are prepared and provide services to clients of any Asian speaking or other language.

Our History & Mission

In 1986, Asians made up 2.4 percent of the total population in Massachusetts and were primarily immigrants and refugees within the Greater Boston area. Most of these immigrants had little to no knowledge of English since it was not their native language and this played a pivotal role in creating socio-cultural barriers. Asian women who became victims of domestic violence, lived within the confines of these barriers and remained unaware of the assistance they could avail from the outside world. The inception of ATASK in 1992, created the fundamental link between the unrepresented Asian victims of domestic violence and available resources for the first time in the history of Massachusetts.

ATASK began with the vision of founder Reverend Cheng Imm Tan, who mobilized a group of volunteers in Boston over 25 years ago to address important gaps in services and access for Asian immigrant victims of domestic violence.  Incorporated in 1992, the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) has operated New England’s only multilingual emergency shelter, advocacy services, outreach, and education programs for battered Asian adults and their children.

ATASK’s mission is to empower Asian survivors of domestic violence and abuse to rebuild their lives.  Our work bridges language and cultural gaps for Asian communities and advocates for social change.