Shared Safety Guides for Immigrant Victims of Crime


Shared Safety has created guides with information for immigrant victims of crime about Protection from Abuse Orders, Navigating the Criminal Justice Process in Philadelphia, and the Victim Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP). These guides have been translated into several languages, including English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Links to access the guides in these languages can be found below.

Protection from Abuse Orders (PFA): A Guide for Immigrant Victims of Crime

This three-page guide answers questions about requesting and getting a PFA Order in Philadelphia for immigrants.

Victim Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP): A Guide for Immigrant Victims of Crime

This one-page guide answers questions about applying for VCAP as an immigrant.

How to Navigate the Criminal Justice Process in Philadelphia: A Guide for Immigrant Victims of Crime

This two-page guide answers questions about the criminal justice process.

These guides were developed by a Shared Safety working group in 2022. The working group project was proposed and led by staff from the Nationalities Service Center. The working group included staff and interns from Congreso de Latinos Unidos, HIAS PA, the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia, and Women Against Abuse.