Intervention | Advocacy In Systems

The successful history of institutional or systems advocacy is a corner stone of the battered women’s movement. The reach of systems has grown, in large part due to the recognition of the complexity of violence against women and its consequences; the co-occurrence of problems, such as domestic violence and child abuse; and attempts to ameliorate unintended consequences. Unfortunately, the backlash against battered women has also grown; and systems designed to help victims have also caused them harm. When systems work well, they are empowering, just, fair – vehicles for change. Advocates have focused on institutional or systems advocacy in the face of policies and procedures that become barriers, instead of gateways to services and resources for Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander victims/survivors.

The API Institute’s work on systems advocacy analyzes critical issues, surfaces cultural contexts and barriers, and makes recommendations to change practice in the following:

• Language Access and Interpretation
• Child Welfare System
• Child Custody
• Mental Health and Trauma
• Immigration
• Law Enforcement

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Resources on Systems Advocacy

Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP)

• www.bwjp.org
• Criminal and Civil Legal Systems

Ms. Foundation for Women

• Safety & Justice for All: Examining the Relationship Between the Women's Anti-violence Movement and the Criminal Legal System, 2003

Praxis International

• praxisinternational.org
• Blueprint for Safety
• Safety and Accountability Audits