How We Help Survivors of Domestic Violence

This month marks the third anniversary of Build Up Justice NYC’s Domestic Violence (DV) Program. Developed in response to the issues faced by our clients in other service areas, the program reflects our commitment to adapting and evolving our services to the needs of the communities we serve. This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, BUJNYC caught up with our DV Program attorneys for a Q&A session about challenges impacting survivors.

Q: What are some notable trends you’ve seen among BUJNYC clients in the last year?

BUJNYC: We have seen quite a bit of digital harassment. Abusers will create fake, anonymous phone numbers or accounts to harass survivors and post threats and slander on social media. We have also seen an uptick in abusers weaponizing survivors’ immigration status. Often, survivors could be trafficked here by their abusers to perform household labor and are not allowed to leave the home to work due to their status. Additionally, abusers will threaten to call ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on undocumented survivors as a way to maintain their power and control over survivors to encourage specific behaviors and prevent them from leaving.

Q: There are many different types of services, legal and otherwise, available to survivors across New York City, but what do you think is most lacking right now?

BUJNYC: DV funding is typically low and has seen federal cuts in the last year. So many legal and other DV support service providers have high rates of turnover and a lack of experienced staff. Also, often survivors have been stay-at home parents for many years, and they have trouble reentering the work force when attempting to leave abusive relationships. Career support can make a huge difference in long-term change for survivors and their children.

Q: What are some legal challenges that survivors face that people not working in the space may not be aware of?

BUJNYC: Often clients cannot leave NYC due to custody issues, which can trap them in a cycle of not being able to find affordable housing or move. They are then often trapped in a cycle of violence with their abuser because they know they cannot find affordable housing. They can also lack quality representation. Clients undergoing contested matrimonial cases in supreme court are also often faced with judges who are not as familiar with domestic violence safety concerns as family court.

Many clients often face serious immigration consequences at the hands of their abusers. Abusers will traffic survivors into the country, force survivors to change their names, and isolate them from their families, without the survivor understanding what their status is in the United States. As we mentioned, an abuser will also weaponize calling ICE in order to continue controlling the survivor, often telling the survivor that if they are deported, they will never see their children again.

Q: How can someone support a survivor they know in their own lives?

BUJNYC: Try not to offer judgment, but rather safety and support. Often telling survivors that they need to leave their abusers will alienate the survivor, further isolating them in a cycle of abuse. Rather, remind them that your home is open to them, and they can always call the police no matter what.

Q: Looking ahead to next year, what are some of your goals for the DV program?

BUJNYC: We want to broaden and strengthen our relationships with social workers, housing and other types of advocates, and other providers who help domestic violence survivors. We want to prioritize trainings and workshops to help practitioners firmly understand the complex legal problems domestic violence survivors face. The more we can engage people, the more each of us learn to support survivors, the larger are support community is and we can make survivors feel less alone.