Standing with Survivors at the Women’s March

Last weekend, some members of our CWS community attended the Women’s March in Portland and Washington, DC with their children, friends and/or family. CWS contends that a bipartisan coalition is critical to the development of policy that impacts the lives of the children, youth and adult survivors we serve. To create a just society for victims of domestic and sexual violence, advocates and allies must seek to create a just society for everyone. This creative work allows all of us to address problems that result from violence and to shift those social norms that allow violence to happen.

Violence against women is rooted in unequal power relationships in society. Domestic violence work, at its core, is about empowering people who are victimized by their intimate partners and assisting them to access the resources that will help them find safety and justice.

Domestic and sexual violence do not occur in isolation. Victims are affected by many forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism and others. These forms of oppression often compound the effects of domestic and sexual violence, exacerbating the trauma and isolation victims and survivors experience. People of color, people living in poverty, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, elders, people with disabilities, and other diverse persons are affected by domestic and sexual violence in unique and devastating ways.

CWS believes that all women, including Black women, Native women, poor women, women who are sex workers, immigrant women, women with disabilities, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women, deserve to thrive free from violence. We will continue to stands in solidarity with organizations led by people of color and we will lift up the voices and represent the experiences of historically marginalized communities.

We will carry the inspiration and momentum from the Women’s March to protect federal funding for lifesaving domestic and sexual violence services for individuals and families throughout the nation. Here at Clackamas Women’s Services, we will continue to be part of the long-term, essential effort to end classism, gender discrimination, racism, and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals that intersect and, in many cases, increase the risk of domestic and sexual violence.