The phrase "are often helpless" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where individuals or groups frequently find themselves in a state of powerlessness or inability to act.
Example: "In times of crisis, many communities are often helpless to respond effectively without external support."
Alternatives: "frequently powerless" or "often at a loss".
Its men are often helpless in the face of shocking violence.
Men are often helpless in the face of this, bringing about much unintended humour, such as when Jagua's lover seriously muses about liking being "molested by her" and another lover is described as "mumbling incoherently and sucking at her lips like a child of six months".
Genome scans are becoming an increasingly popular approach to study the genetic basis of adaptation and speciation, but on their own, they are often helpless at identifying the specific gene(s) or mutation(s) targeted by selection.
In the face of such defenses, the best-organized attacks were often helpless.
Law enforcement is often helpless to catch up with tricksters adept at staying ahead of the game.
Yet it is clear that the agency is often helpless in the face of the myriad subterfuges that some landlords deploy to manipulate rent system guidelines.
As such, the CCRC is often helpless to refer the cases of factually innocent victims of wrongful conviction if they do not meet the required criteria.
When invading species (or people) arrive, the native animals are often as helpless as the flightless dodo, which was hunted to extinction in the 17th century.
"We are often completely helpless because airmen are terrified of officers.
Kovitz said she owes her colleagues at San Quentin many of her reporting values, specifically the commitment to tell nuanced stories about those who are often seen as helpless but are real people trapped in society's deepest power structures.
Kleiman (1988) indicated that female workers in blue-collar occupations are often portrayed as "helpless victims" and "unable to act in their own interests".
