When Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims Backfires

Abstract

This article argues that although victim advocacy in domestic violence has brought significant improvement in victim services, there are instances in which advocacy backfires: The very interventions designed to help and empower victims contain the seeds of disempowerment. After discussing types and sources of victim disempowerment from their own research and that of others, the authors draw attention to some macro issues related to domestic violence victim advocacy.