A national study of survivors and service providers found that: (1) Survivors were looking for options other than punishment for the abuser, options that were not necessarily focused on separation from the abuser; (2) Survivors feared that once they were involved in the criminal justice system, they would lose control of the process; (3) Survivors were reluctant to engage the system because they believed that it was complicated, lengthy, and would cause them to suffer more trauma.42 Survivors simply want the violence to end. They want safety and healing. They want the person who is hurting
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