Disappearing Victims: Influences on Withdrawal from Order of Protection Services among Low-Income Black Females

Abstract

Low-income Black women are among the most susceptible to becoming victims of domestic violence; however, they are simultaneously the least successful in obtaining legal protection against their abusers. The Domestic Violence Legal Clinic of Chicago (DVLC) discovered that Black females were significantly more likely to prematurely disappear from legal services before the completion of their Order of Protection compared to Latinx and White females. A practicum was proposed within the DVLC to examine the intersectional interpersonal, structural, and societal factors that influence low-income Black female victims’ participation in services.