Op-Ed (Washington)
Ishbel Dickens, Jay Doran
Olympian (WA)
February 6, 2016
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The 2015 Civil Legal Needs Study Update found that low-income Washingtonians who have suffered domestic violence or sexual assault experience an average of 19.7 civil legal problems per year, most of which arise from their victimization.
Can you imagine? As if trying to protect your family from an abuser was not enough, research shows that survivors are fighting an uphill legal battle to find safety, economic security and residential stability as they escape from their victimization.
There are many variables to successfully transition from an abusive relationship; we know that access to civil legal aid results in positive outcomes for survivors. If we are to ensure that civil legal aid is available to all victims of domestic violence, we must invest in it.