Skagit DVSAS believes that to make informed choices for themselves and their children, victims/ survivors must have access to safety, advocacy, information about options, and referrals to helping resources. To carry out their decisions, victims/ survivors of domestic violence must be able to obtain support and advocacy that respects and reinforces their autonomy and self-determination.

Interventions that blame the victim and do not hold the abuser accountable for the violence are ineffective, and can result in further harm, including death. Services for victims/survivors of domestic violence and their children shall encourage and advance the empowerment of victims/ survivors and seek social change which addresses the existing imbalance of power within abusive relationships.

Skagit DVSAS operates with the following philosophies:

• Violence by one person against another is not acceptable, any where, any time.
• Each person has the right to expect physical, emotional and sexual safety.

Skagit DVSAS believes in the empowerment of victims/ survivors so that they can know:

• They are not alone with violence.
• They are not responsible for the violence committed against them.
• They are entitled to legal, medical, financial and social service resources.
• That any person affected by domestic violence or sexual assault in Skagit County has the right to a support system they can count on.