Child Support and Domestic Violence: The Victims Speak Out

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Abstract
Brief interviews with 1,082 applicants for public assistance in four Colorado welfare offices show that 40% disclose current or past abuse. When apprised of the option of obtaining an exemption to the child support requirements of the new welfare reform law, only 6.7% of victims (2.7% of applicants) expressed an interest in applying. Most women said they wanted child support and that its pursuit would pose no danger. Only one third of the victims who expressed an interest in applying for an exemption were granted one. Two thirds were denied because they lacked sufficient documentation to corroborate their claims of potential harm.