OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Bethzaida Garcia, the Public Education Coordinator for Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS, is helping domestic abuse victims fight back through her nonprofit Vida en Tus Manos. 

After being in a domestic abuse relationship for several years, Garcia fled her native Puerto Rico 22 years ago for help. She came to Central Florida with her eldest daughter severely hurt and without a home.

“I came on a Cinco de Mayo. While others were celebrating, I was just arriving to the United States with bruises on my face,” Garcia said.

Vida en Tus Manos’ mission is to “educate, guide, and fight for the civil rights of individuals and families that suffer from domestic violence.” It serves as a metaphor for what Garcia continuously endured from her daughter’s father.

“I remember that person used to tell me to put my hands down, so he had the chance to hit my face,” she said. “I never had the chance to protect myself.”

Domestic abuse is prominent in the Latino community. According to the National Latina Network, 1 in 12 Latinas in the United States experience domestic abuse from their intimate partner. Studies also show 35% of Latinas in the United States experience intimate violence from their partner.

To end such an issue, Garcia travels throughout Central Florida, often visiting churches and schools to create a safe haven for women who are victims of domestic abuse. She leads workshops throughout her visits, in which she trains domestic violence victims self-defense skills and encourages women to speak up even when the journey is hard to share.

“At times, you feel ashamed because you don’t even want to talk about it. You don’t have anyone to talk about it and you feel that you’re alone,” said Garcia. But the Osceola County official-turned-activist stresses that no woman is alone and that they should always speak up when they are in danger and seek help.

According to Esperanza United, a nonprofit to end gender-based violence, Latina and Black women were less likely to seek mental health services compared to white women.

Garcia said individuals can attempt to avoid intimate violence from their partner if they are aware of certain red flags: obsession, stalking, micromanagement and hurting others are all signs, she said.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) often includes economic or financial abuse and sexual and reproductive coercion, and can occur with other forms of abuse, Esperanza United stated in their 2021 report.

Once hopeless, Garcia is proud of the work she has accomplished and says she will always fight back by empowering other women. “If we start telling (women) how beautiful they are, that they don’t have to depend on someone to come and tell them how beautiful they are, we empower them,” she said.

If you or a loved one is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. To reach Garcia’s organization, Vida en Tus Manos, call 407-414-2473. Si usted o un ser querido es víctima de violencia doméstica, llame a la línea directa nacional de violencia doméstica al 800-799-7233. Para comunicarse con la organización de García, Vida en Tus Manos, llame al 407-414-2473.