We Are Done Surviving in Silence

Ya Basta de Sobrevivir en Silencio

For 50 years the East Los Angeles Women's Center has stood with Latina survivors of sexual assault — those carrying pain too often unseen, unspoken, and dismissed. We honor their resilience, their courage, and their bravery in speaking their truth, whether quietly or aloud.


Por 50 años, East Los Angeles Women's Center ha apoyado a mujeres latinas que han sufrido agresión sexual — aquellas con dolor que muchas veces nadie ve, escucha o toma en serio. Honramos su fuerza, valentía y el coraje de decir su verdad.


Sexual violence leaves deep emotional, physical, and psychological impacts, and too often survivors face stigma, disbelief, or silence instead of support.


La violencia sexual deja marcas emocionales, físicas y mentales. Las sobrevivientes merecen ser escuchadas, respetadas y creídas. Merecen espacios seguros, recursos y comunidades que las apoyen.


This must change.


Survivors deserve to be met with compassion, respect, and care. They deserve to be believed. They deserve access to resources, safe spaces, and communities that uplift them rather than question them.


Believing survivors is not radical, it is necessary.


Today, Dolores Huerta reminds us it is never too late to speak. 

A woman who has spent a lifetime fighting for the dignity of others, her voice, like all survivors' voices, deserves to be heard and believed. We embrace her courage, personal sacrifice and lifelong commitment to advocating for justice and human rights. ELAWC is honored to stand beside her.


Hoy, Dolores Huerta nos recuerda que nunca es tarde para hablar. Su lucha por la dignidad y la justicia muestra lo que significa ser invencible. ELAWC se siente orgulloso de estar a su lado.


And we stand in solidarity with all survivors — not just in words, but in action. By listening without judgment, advocating accountability, and working to prevent violence, we help create a world where dignity and safety are not the exception, but the norm. Survivors are not defined by what happened to them — they are defined by their strength, their humanity, and their right to heal on their own terms.


Estamos en solidaridad con todas las sobrevivientes — no solo con palabras, sino con acciones. Escuchando sin juzgar, exigiendo responsabilidad y previniendo la violencia, ayudamos a crear un mundo donde la dignidad y la seguridad sean la norma. Las sobrevivientes se definen por su fuerza, humanidad y derecho a sanar a su manera.


We also recognize this work must include men — not just as allies, but as active participants in ending sexual violence. Men have a critical role in challenging harmful norms, holding one another accountable, and helping build cultures rooted in respect, consent, and care.


También reconocemos que este trabajo debe incluir a los hombres — no solo como aliados, sino como participantes activos en el fin de la violencia sexual. Los hombres tienen un papel clave al desafiar normas dañinas, hacerse responsables entre sí y ayudar a construir culturas basadas en el respeto, el consentimiento y el cuidado.


Ending gender-based violence is not the responsibility of women alone — it is a collective responsibility.


Sexual assault thrives in silence. April 1 marks the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Now more than ever SAAM serves as a call to action. 


If you are triggered by this news or are inspired to begin your healing journey, we are here for you.


If you are an agency or educational institution seeking to learn more about trauma-informed care for survivors, you can count on us to guide you.


We will not stop until dignity is not something survivors have to fight for — but something they are guaranteed.


Join ELAWC as we stand together with survivors — because silence was never our culture, and it never will be again.


Poner fin a la violencia de género no es responsabilidad solo de las mujeres — es una responsabilidad de todos.


La agresión sexual prospera en el silencio. El 1 de abril marca el inicio del Mes de Concientización sobre la Agresión Sexual (SAAM). Ahora más que nunca, SAAM nos llama a la acción.


Si esta noticia te afecta o te inspira a comenzar tu proceso de sanación, estamos aquí para ti.


Si eres una agencia o institución educativa que desea aprender más sobre cuidado con enfoque en trauma para sobrevivientes, puedes contar con nosotros para guiarte.


No nos detendremos hasta que la dignidad deje de ser algo por lo que las sobrevivientes tengan que luchar — y se convierta en algo garantizado.

Únete a ELAWC y pongámonos de pie junto a las sobrevivientes — porque el silencio nunca fue nuestra cultura, y nunca lo será.

Barbara Kappos

Executive Director

and the Staff and Board of Directors of ELAWC

The mission of the East Los Angeles Women’s Center is to ensure that all women, girls and their families live in a place of safety, health, and personal well-being, free from violence and abuse, with equal access to necessary health services and social support, with an emphasis on Latino communities.