by LAWS CEO Samantha Clarke, MSW, MPA

I recently read Marlee Liss’s thoughtful reflection on the criticism and polarization that often surrounds conversations about sexual violence and abuse. It reminded me of something we see every day in our work with survivors.

Too often, public conversations become about everyone except the survivor.

People debate what should have happened. They question decisions. They argue about systems, accountability, evidence, motives, and outcomes. Each perspective may come from a deeply held belief. But while everyone else is talking, there is one voice that too often gets lost: The survivor’s.

At LAWS, we have learned that there is no single “right” path after violence.

For one survivor, justice may mean reporting to law enforcement and seeing a case prosecuted.

For another, justice may mean never entering the criminal legal system at all.

Healing may look like:

• trauma therapy
• obtaining a protective order
• finding safe housing
• rebuilding financial independence.

Sometimes it simply means being believed for the first time. Sometimes it means all of those things. Sometimes it means none of them.

Our role is not to decide what healing or justice should look like. Our role is to create the conditions where survivors have the information, support, and autonomy to decide for themselves. That is what it means to be survivor-centered.

Being survivor-centered is more than a philosophy.

It requires a deliberate commitment to trauma-informed, survivor-led, and unbiased practice. It means recognizing that trauma affects memory, decision-making, relationships, and trust. It means understanding that survivors reclaim power when they are given choices- not directions.

It also means remaining neutral with respect to the path a survivor chooses.

Whether someone wants to pursue criminal charges, seek a civil remedy, leave a relationship, stay while creating a safety plan, enter therapy, access emergency shelter, or simply have someone listen without judgment, their goals become our starting point- not our assumptions.

Every survivor deserves access to services that are free of pressure, free of bias, and centered on their own definition of safety and healing.

The systems surrounding survivors each have an important role. Law enforcement seeks accountability. Prosecutors pursue justice. Courts interpret the law. Healthcare providers address physical needs. Community organizations provide advocacy, safety planning, therapy, housing support, and healing.

These roles are different by design.

What matters is that survivors have access to all of them and the freedom to decide which doors they want to walk through, when they are ready, and with trusted support beside them.

Violence takes away power. Recovery begins by giving it back.

That is why survivor voice must remain at the center of our work. Not because every path is the same, but because every survivor deserves the dignity of choosing their own.

If we truly want to build communities where survivors can heal, then we must resist the urge to tell survivors what they should do and instead ask a much better question: What do you need and how can we walk alongside you?

That question has guided our work at LAWS for decades. I believe it should guide all of us.