THE PROBLEM
Domestic Violence affects households around the world. In many countries, women are particularly vulnerable. Women victimised by domestic violence who report crimes to the authorities are at high risk of reprisals from their assailants. If victims do report abuses, there is unlikely to be safe shelter for them.
UN Women cites studies showing that less than 10 percent of domestic violence victims report their abuse to legal, medical or social welfare authorities. Domestic violence accelerates over time: by the time women report the crime, it is likely to have gone on for many years and reached dangerous levels.
- 46% percent of ever-married women in Uganda say that they are afraid of their current or most recent partner some or most of the time.
- 736 million women around the world have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.
OUR SOLUTION
Our Proven Community Protection Model
We don’t stop at rescuing people who have been abused. Our goal is to prevent violence from happening in the first place.
That’s why IJM and our partners collaborate with local authorities to serve individual survivors of domestic violence, pursue sustainable improvements in the justice system and build communities where all people can expect to be safe, protected and free.
Our Response
IJM combats domestic violence in Uganda and Latin America
Together with our partners, we:
PROTECT AND RESTORE VICTIMS: We partner with local authorities to conduct rescue operations and ensure each victim of domestic violence is safe. We support survivors in court proceedings and create individualised care plans to help each person heal from trauma and pursue dignified jobs and educational opportunities.
BRING CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE: We advocate for police reports to be filed against those who have committed the abuse, and we support their prosecution.
STRENGTHEN JUSTICE SYSTEMS: We provide hands-on mentoring for law enforcement, government officials and partner organizations. We also create social demand and advocate with state and national leaders to make ending domestic violence a top priority.
Our Results
IJM conducted a pilot project in northern Uganda to determine the effectiveness of IJM’s approach to protect victims of domestic violence and bring perpetrators to justice.
IJM assisted in 10 cases in the 2018 project. By the pilot’s conclusion:
SUSPECTS WERE
CHARGED
PERPETRATORS
WERE CONVICTED
SURVIVORS RECEIVED
LEGAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES
MEET LILIAN
Lilian had big dreams of opening an orphanage and building a school one day. She married William*, a caring and visionary businessman, but his violent behavior soon surfaced.
Lillian endured years of abuse, concealing it from the community around her. She remained faithful to raising and caring for to her stepchildren, teaching them about life and how to care for the home.
After enduring multiple violent attacks and fearing for her daughter’s well-being, Lillian found the strength to report William to the police. With the support of IJM, William was convicted of domestic violence. Lillian now focuses on supporting street children and empowering other women with her story.
Read her Story
Help Survivors of Domestic Violence Today
Home should be a place of safety and peace, not violence and fear.
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