Lawyers Manual - Unified Court System
Lawyers Manual - Unified Court System Lawyers Manual - Unified Court System
22 Advocating for Youth in Domestic Violence Proceedings by Stephanie Nilva and Kristine Herman Advocating for young victims of domestic violence requires specific skills. Young victims experience similar forms of power and control as adult victims, but a number of complex issues unique to teens and young adults further complicate their situations and create barriers to accessing safety. Young people often are isolated from support systems, unaware that help is available to them, and unable or reluctant to pursue assistance. In most cases, young victims of domestic violence have limited access to resources, and they usually reside with a guardian of some kind. Their developmental stage, relative inexperience with intimate partners, and distrust of authority also separate them from adult victims. The support from a young person’s family and the structure of New York State’s legal system will shape options available to your young clients. Together, these aspects of the youth experience mean that advocating for youth experiencing relationship abuse is particularly demanding. Understanding your client’s experience as a teenager or young adult can be difficult, but sympathizing with her experience will help build a trusting relationship. Patiently exploring the legal options without alienating her through condescending or “adultist” behavior will pay off. In many situations, your client will be ineligible for, or unwilling to seek, all of the legal system’s protections; in other cases, she will remain involved with the abuser or display extraordinary levels of ambivalence; she may leave and return to him frequently. In every one of these cases, safety planning is essential. 1
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22<br />
Advocating for Youth in<br />
Domestic Violence Proceedings<br />
by Stephanie Nilva and Kristine Herman<br />
Advocating for young victims of domestic violence requires specific skills.<br />
Young victims experience similar forms of power and control as adult<br />
victims, but a number of complex issues unique to teens and young adults<br />
further complicate their situations and create barriers to accessing safety. Young<br />
people often are isolated from support systems, unaware that help is available to<br />
them, and unable or reluctant to pursue assistance.<br />
In most cases, young victims of domestic violence have limited access to<br />
resources, and they usually reside with a guardian of some kind. Their<br />
developmental stage, relative inexperience with intimate partners, and distrust of<br />
authority also separate them from adult victims. The support from a young<br />
person’s family and the structure of New York State’s legal system will shape<br />
options available to your young clients. Together, these aspects of the youth<br />
experience mean that advocating for youth experiencing relationship abuse is<br />
particularly demanding.<br />
Understanding your client’s experience as a teenager or young adult can be<br />
difficult, but sympathizing with her experience will help build a trusting<br />
relationship. Patiently exploring the legal options without alienating her through<br />
condescending or “adultist” behavior will pay off. In many situations, your<br />
client will be ineligible for, or unwilling to seek, all of the legal system’s<br />
protections; in other cases, she will remain involved with the abuser or display<br />
extraordinary levels of ambivalence; she may leave and return to him frequently.<br />
In every one of these cases, safety planning is essential. 1