GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There’s a question that’s often asked about people who are victims of domestic violence: Why didn’t they leave?
Advocates say it’s not so simple.
“I think that victims and survivors risk literally everything: They risk their life, they risk their reputation,” Tara Aday, senior director of programs for Safe Haven Ministries, said. “Even if it’s the most horrific situation, they make the ultimate risk when they try to leave because they know that abusers will do anything in their power to maintain that control.”
Aday posed a number of questions to reframe the situation:
“Why do abusers do this? Why are they able to get away with this? Why is there not as much accountability that maybe there should be?” she said. “And remove some of the responsibility off of somebody that didn’t ask for this to happen to them in the first place.”
Elissa Swihart, founder of Survivor Sisterhood, said she has seen more survivors like her begin to share their stories, which she called “incredibly empowering.” Aday said the community Swihart is helping facilitate “community for people that often feel so isolated.”
“It is this powerful thing when survivors come forward,” Aday said. Advocates say woman’s death shows ‘stark reality’ of domestic abuse
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached anytime at 1.800.799.7233. Aday says organizations like Safe Haven work hard to support survivors and give them ownership of their lives.
Read the full article and watch Tara Aday’s video at Wood TV.
