LUCY RIOS, who has been serving as interim executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence for close to a year, was recently named the coalition’s permanent executive director. Rios has led efforts to combat domestic violence in Rhode Island for the past two decades. She has served as RICADV deputy director and has led the organization’s prevention and communication teams and its Ten Men program, which brings men together as allies in violence prevention.
What are your hopes for the coalition moving forward?
There is no survivor justice without racial justice, and I’m hopeful we’ll continue deepening partnerships, explore new ones and have a greater presence in communities of color, which are disproportionately impacted by domestic violence and other forms of oppression. Our mission to end abuse and keep all survivors at the heart of our work is interconnected with climate, gender, racial, reproductive and immigrant justice – and I hope to build stronger ties with those movements to end domestic violence.
The coalition moved into a new location in Warwick earlier this year. What new services, if any, is it offering for victims and families?
We envision being able to engage with the community more in our new, larger space, where we can now host learning sessions and workshops in our training room and have a gathering area our member agencies can utilize. Accessibility is paramount to us, so being centrally located in Rhode Island and on a [R.I. Public Transit Authority] bus route was an important consideration.
Have cases of domestic violence in Rhode Island remained high after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020? If so, how is the coalition responding to it?
We continue seeing high demand, with 42,170 individual services provided and almost 14,000 calls to helplines in 2021 alone. Beyond responding to crises and the direct services the RICADV agencies provide, we continue advocating to improve systems and policy, prevention and communication efforts. Survivors don’t live single-issue lives – there are other barriers in their journey to safety and healing, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Recognizing this, the RICADV advocates for economic justice, including increased benefits, paid family leave and safe, affordable housing. This year, our advocacy led to $10.5 million in the state budget being distributed to address survivors’ needs and the passage of an address confidentiality program.
What will it take to significantly minimize, if not end, domestic violence in the state?
Domestic abuse is not inevitable. It can feel like ending domestic violence is a daunting task to take on, though we believe it is possible. We want Rhode Islanders – and all people – to be empowered by the opportunity we have to challenge harmful norms in our culture that allow abuse, step in as active bystanders and work together to ensure communities have the resources they need.
