Caitlin Aladham

The Project

Caitlin (she/her/hers) advocates on behalf of Muslim domestic violence survivors through direct representation, community education, and cultural competency training in Southeastern Wisconsin with Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

In Wisconsin, 36.3% of women suffer from domestic violence. The issue of domestic violence is even more prevalent within religious communities, including the Muslim community, wherein women often do not feel comfortable seeking out resources marketed to the general population. Furthermore, these women are often unable to obtain legal assistance. There is a shortage of family law attorneys in the area willing to provide legal aid, and of those, none are Muslim.

Domestic violence is often swept under the rug in religious communities. As a Muslim woman, Caitlin understands the need for compassionate, culturally-competent legal assistance for Muslim survivors of domestic violence.

Fellowship Plans

Caitlin’s project focuses on representing these women and vindicating their legal rights to safety, custody of their children, an equitable division of marital property, and most critically, access to the legal system. In collaboration with community partners, this will be accomplished through:

• Direct legal representation for survivors seeking restraining orders, divorce, and child custody.
• Know-Your-Rights education on family law matters for the Muslim community.
• Cultural competency training for family law practitioners to improve the proficiency of the legal system in aiding Muslim litigants.

Media