Who are we?

The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV) is a statewide network of battered women's programs, supportive organizations, and individuals who share the goal of ending violence against women and children in Louisiana. LCADV empowers its members through advocacy, education, resource development, and technical assistance.

LCADV supports the development and provision of services to battered women and their children and provides a forum for its members to meet regularly in order to network, receive training, and identify resources. LCADV works to improve systems that respond to domestic violence through education and training and to work toward the elimination of domestic violence by exposing its root causes through public awareness of the problem, the need for change, and the services available in Louisiana.

PHILOSOPHY

The LCADV works to end violence against women. This violence affects women and their children, of all ages, income levels, lifestyles, races, and geographic areas. We define woman abuse as physical harm, or the threat of such harm, experienced by a woman at the hands of her partner. In addition, battered women suffer the use of threats, insults, or other behaviors intended to intimidate, humiliate, or otherwise diminish their physical, psychological, and/or spiritual well-being.

Woman abuse cannot be adequately understood as solely an individual or family problem. Intervention at these levels will never stop woman battering, though services to provide safety for victims and their children are vital until violence against women is ended. In many ways, our society supports the idea that violence is an acceptable means of problem solving and that women are appropriate targets of violence. This Coalition recognizes that inequality between men and women is a major cause of woman abuse. Additionally, we recognize other forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, and homophobia, contribute to woman abuse in our society. Therefore, we support the ideal of equality among all people and appreciate that social change toward this end is necessary to stop woman abuse.

No one deserves to be beaten. The person who chooses to use violence as a means of gaining control over a partner is responsible for the abuse and should be held accountable. Unfortunately, the abuser has rarely been held accountable by society. Too often women who seek help are turned away or blamed for the violence done to them. Until our society begins to hold abusers accountable, our institutions will continue to support violence against women.

This Coalition believes that all battered women have the right and capability of making decisions for themselves and that they have the right to establish a non-violent living situation. In addition, we believe that battered women's programs best serve women by offering them the opportunity to regain control over their lives through finding safety, emotional support, and advocacy. The LCADV is dedicated to bringing about change in our institutions, laws, policies, attitudes, and beliefs which will allow women and their children to live lives free from violence.

BECOME A MEMBER OF LCADV
AND PLAY YOUR PART
TOWARD ENDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Click here for membership application.

Remember

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS YOUR BUSINESS!

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