Domestic Violence – Voices for Civil Justice

Legal assistance can change lives of immigrant domestic violence victims

Op-Ed (Tennessee)

Legal assistance can change lives of immigrant domestic violence victims

August 1, 2019 | Chay Sengkhounmany | Tennessean, The
Immigrant victims of domestic violence are often reluctant to report abuse because they don’t want to be deported — a vulnerability that their abusers are aware of and use to exert control over the relationship.
Tags: Domestic Violence | Immigration

Legal Aid Society to add focus on domestic violence with new project

News Story (Virginia)

Legal Aid Society to add focus on domestic violence with new project

September 14, 2019 | Rachel Mahoney | News and Advance
Lawyers with VLAS have helped about 400 victims of domestic violence per year with issues like housing or divorce across the 26 localities they serve, which includes an office in Lynchburg.
Tags: Domestic Violence

Confronting Domestic Abuse: How Legal Aid Provided a Lifeline When I Needed It

Op-Ed (NATIONAL, Ohio)

Confronting Domestic Abuse: How Legal Aid Provided a Lifeline When I Needed It

August 9, 2019 | Athena Gough | Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ)
I think it’s important for people to know that I was extremely fortunate. Many women don’t get the chance I got. One of the biggest hurdles to ending a situation like mine is getting legal help to end it.
Tags: Domestic Violence

Legal aid group threatens to sue SFPD over delays in domestic-abuse reports

News Story (California)

Legal aid group threatens to sue SFPD over delays in domestic-abuse reports

April 16, 2019 | Dominic Fracassa | San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area Legal Aid is threatening to sue to compel the San Francisco Police Department to provide timely copies of incident reports to victims of domestic violence, as mandated by state law.
Tags: Domestic Violence

Letter: Survivors need all the resources they can get

Letter to Editor (New Hampshire)

Letter: Survivors need all the resources they can get

February 26, 2019 | Paula Lesmerises | Concord Monitor (NH)
"I hope the Legislature will see fit to increase funding for both of these agencies because domestic violence victims need the both the vital, comprehensive services provided by crisis centers and the legal expertise offered by NHLA."
Tags: Domestic Violence | Funding: State & Local

We must give domestic violence survivors the legal aid they need

Op-Ed (New Hampshire)

We must give domestic violence survivors the legal aid they need

February 10, 2019 | Erin Jasina | Concord Monitor (NH)
The root causes of domestic violence are complex, and there is no single policy or program that can prevent it. But there is one critical step our state can take to improve the lives of survivors: We can ensure they have access to legal help, regardless of their ability to pay.
Tags: Domestic Violence

Fighting Back: ‘I had to get out or I wasn’t going to be alive for my kids’

Feature (New Hampshire)

Fighting Back: ‘I had to get out or I wasn’t going to be alive for my kids’

February 4, 2019 | Alyssa M. Dandrea | Concord Monitor (NH)
While the criminal justice system aims to provide safeguards and accountability, the majority of domestic violence incidents are never reported to police. Of the cases that do result in an arrest, more than half are dismissed in the courts.
Tags: Domestic Violence