“[Her abuser] would force himself on her and would tell her that, ‘You’re my girlfriend—this is what you’re supposed to do,’” says Grecia. “She thought it was okay and she blamed it on herself because one incident did occur in front of her daughter.” According to Grecia, Josefina became even more wracked with guilt when her daughter, who was very young and who loved her father, begged her, “Please don’t send Daddy to jail.”

In many ways, our community is at a crossroads when it comes to helping our neighbors and friends achieve a basic level of justice. One path leads to increased marginalization of the poor and lost opportunities for parents and children struggling to keep their homes, find jobs, avoid persecution or abuse, or reenter society. Another brighter path leads to increased access to justice, providing life-changing peace of mind and hope for those in our community who currently have none.