When needing a divorce, becomes a human rights issue
The most downloaded civil legal aid resources on New York's legal aid website, LawHelpNY are related to how to (1) get a divorce in New York State, and (2) coping with the outcome, such as getting child support and visitation.
Many people may not easily realize, but for low-income families, a divorce can be a long and painful process, especially if children are involved. Without the ability to pay for legal help, a long divorce can leave one of the parties in economic and emotional hardship. Low-income women with no financial means of their own, may also chose to stay in an abusive marriage for fear of financial distress - who can actually stand in court and face their abuser to seek a separation or divorce. This is when needing a divorce, can become a human rights issue. There are 368 legal aid groups in New York that provide different types of divorce legal help - from brief legal advice, pro se workshops, direct legal assistance, and more.
Using 2012 NYS divorce data with LawHelpNY data on the legal aid organizations in the state, I created the interactive ArcGIS map to help people learn about the various free legal aid programs that provide some type of divorce help in their area.
The map also shows that the counties with the highest divorce rates are: Jefferson, Warren, and Chautaqua counties. Hamilton County has the lowest divorce rate, with only 5 divorces performed in 2012.
The black dots represent the civil legal aid programs in each county that assist low-income people with a divorce. If you click on a legal program, you will get information on the counties they serve, type of assistance, and a link to their contact information. Scroll your map around the interactive map and learn about the legal aid safety net that is available for low-income people needing to get a divorce.