Does Caminar Latino encourage women to leave their husbands?
NEVER! CL believes that survivors are the real experts concerning their lives. They have kept themselves and their children alive when they come to us so we do not want to do anything that will jeopardize the very tenuous balance that often exists in relationships in which there is violence. We are well aware of the statistics that show that over 70% of the women who are killed or seriously hurt have already or are attempting to leave their abuser. As a result, encouraging someone to leave may increase their risk exponentially. Studies have found that women are the best predictors of when violence will happen again and we believe that they must make their own decisions. Leaving is one of the several options that the group talks about, but CL is more about supporting each woman along the path she has chosen – even if we don’t necessarily agree with her decision. What is the purpose of having sessions/groups for men and not only the women? This was a question that CL was asked early in i
NEVER! CL believes that survivors are the real experts concerning their lives. They have kept themselves and their children alive when they come to us so we do not want to do anything that will jeopardize the very tenuous balance that often exists in relationships in which there is violence. We are well aware of the statistics that show that over 70% of the women who are killed or seriously hurt have already or are attempting to leave their abuser. As a result, encouraging someone to leave may increase their risk exponentially. Studies have found that women are the best predictors of when violence will happen again and we believe that they must make their own decisions. Leaving is one of the several options that the group talks about, but CL is more about supporting each woman along the path she has chosen – even if we don’t necessarily agree with her decision.
