‘Blaming the victim’vis-à-vischild-focused Western law: implications of evidence-based policy-making for the rescue of Black families

‘Blaming the victim’ policies remain largely intact under the façade of family law and policy construction. Based on empirical evidence, lack of employment for Black men is a major factor in their inability to sustain the Black family as a functional unit. The existence of child-focused family laws has had a devastating effect upon the construction of family policies vis-à-vis Black men. Evidence-based policy-making (EBPM) is intended to provide a means for creating legislation independent of politics. EBPM is predicated on the most rigorous scientific evidence available from recognized experts in relevant fields. Accordingly, policy-makers loyal to the Black family may simultaneously rescue its children and play a pivotal role in its viability.