Women's Rights Employment Law Blog

Does domestic violence start with the young? Chicago Tribune has an insightful account.

A classroom campaign and new hot line are part of a nationwide push to prevent abuse

By Bonnie Miller Rubin

Scrapping his usual lesson for the day, a South Shore high school teacher asked his students a question: Is it ever OK to be abusive with a boyfriend or girlfriend?

A 16-year-old boy spoke up. "If she does something to provoke you, then you have to put her in her place," he said nonchalantly. "I'm not going to hit her in the face ... but I'm not going to run, either."

With that, a candid discussion got under way that gave teacher Scott Steward an earful.

"A guy may need to get a little physical ... to know where his girlfriend is at all times," one boy argued.

"It's a way to show how he cares about you," another said.

Until recently, most interventions for domestic abuse were geared to older perpetrators and victims. But increased awareness of violence among teens is sparking a flurry of initiatives for teens, including the lesson plan taught by Steward.

In a related program, the country's first national abuse hot line for teens will open Thursday.

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed 14,000 high school students as part of a 2005 study, 9.2 percent said they had been "hit, slapped or physically hurt" by their dating partners in the previous 12 months. Perhaps surprisingly, the incidence was about the same among girls and boys.

In Chicago, 15.4 percent of high school students reported being a victim, mirroring higher rates in some other big cities.

But experts said hitting isn't the only form of abuse. Today, a boy might send text messages to a girl's cell phone 30 times an hour to keep track of where she is and what she's doing.

Such examples underscore why experts believe efforts to prevent abuse and help victims must be tailored to the age group. Parents often are clueless about the technology used by teens, which can help conceal high-risk situations.

Continue reading "When domestic violence starts young" »

District Chronicles discusses intersection between race and domestic violence.

Marie Tessier

Activists in the growing movement to support battered African-American women agree on what's needed to stem domestic violence: more services that are culturally informed and integrated into victims' communities.

''Color blindness is not what you need if you're trying to serve diverse communities,'' says Oliver Williams, executive director of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African-American Community at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. ''The trend is toward an increase in community-based, faith-based and grassroots services.''

While the battered women's movement has long strived to serve all women, few projects can identify specific programs designed to reach out to diverse communities. That can be a barrier to safety for Black women, who tend to reach out for help through informal networks in their communities, such as a church, rather than consulting a shelter or hotline, according to experts.

African-American women face a higher risk for experiencing domestic violence than other women, according to the most recent data from the Justice Department. In fact, they are more than twice as likely to die at the hands of a spouse or a boyfriend. They are also at greater risk of more severe violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and the Bureau of Justice Statistics in Washington, D.C.

Continue reading "Domestic violence: Is it a Black thing?" »

Reports of domestic violence increase in number, brutality

By Adam Silverman
Julie Robare was terrified for nearly two decades that she was just one beating away from becoming a murder victim.

An abusive boyfriend -- a man Robare met as a teenager who started off sweet and grew more possessive and vicious as the years slid by -- fractured Robare's ribs, broke her nose, shattered one of her wrists, repeatedly strangled her into unconsciousness, left her with countless black eyes.

He pointed a gun at her, chased her with a machete, kept her captive in their home for days. One time in Florida, he told her he was going to throw her corpse into a canal swarming with alligators so no one ever would find her remains.

Robare was too terrified to leave. She knew the abuse she would suffer with the boyfriend and how to manage the pain and humiliation; she had no idea how demonic the boyfriend might become if she moved out. So she stayed.

"Seventeen years I was with him, I feared for my life," Robare said.

Vermont has seen many more Julie Robares lately.

The number of reported incidents of domestic violence and the brutality of individual attacks has been growing steadily for a decade. Occurrences jumped nearly 50 percent between 1997 and 2006, with the largest increase -- 15 percent -- recorded between 2005 and last year, according to data from the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Continue reading "DV cases increase in Vermont" »

A story on how the South Asian communities are grappling with DV issues.


Support groups help South Asian community fight domestic violence
BY LEEMA THOMAS-JOSEPH
Newsday Staff Writer

When "Asma" was 26 years old, her parents found her a suitable husband. She left her native town in South India and in 2001 moved to Pennsylvania to be with her life partner.

But her in-laws were part of the bridal package. Asma's dream of building a new life with her spouse soon turned into a nightmare.

"My father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, they were treating me very badly. I wasn't interested in living in a joint family setup. I couldn't put up with the [verbal] abuse anymore."

Within a year, the marriage headed toward a breakup. And after her daughter was born, Asma, who asked that her real name not be used, moved with the child to Brooklyn and started her medical residency.

Sensing that her daughter needed a father, Asma and her parents, all practicing Muslims, felt she should remarry. Her parents arranged for her to meet a man from Atlanta. They wed in July 2004.

"Before the marriage, he told me he's going to be very nice to my daughter and be a good father to her. I never expected he would change so much after getting married."

Initially, "he was extremely verbally abusive," she said, but, after she became pregnant in February 2005, "he started physically abusing me. He'd slap me and push me. Hit me on my belly," she said.

The abuse continued, eventually forcing her to take legal measures after her husband fled the country with their newborn son.

Recalling her story of survival recently, Asma said the experience left her feeling depressed and in "a deep, dark pit." A friend referred her to the Domestic Harmony Committee, an anti-domestic-violence group based at the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury. The group became her lifeline to safety and sanity. It played a crucial role in her life, Asma said during a recent interview.

Continue reading "South Asians fight domestic violence" »

Kmart's infamous line of children's t-shirts are not just making an accurate reflection of capitalism's representation of women, but is being promoted to sell well. Since pictures speak a thousand words, we'll merely let the image do the telling.


A report follows:

A T-Shirt, that is being sold at the Kmart stores which shows a picture of a stick figure boy pushing a girl over with the words “Problem Solved” has caused a demonstration outside a store in Alexis Road in Toledo, Ohio. Over fifty demonstrators turned up with signs reading "Attention Shoppers: Kmart has an attitude problem. Recall violent merchandise" and "Attention! Domestic violence in Aisle 7." The t-shirt is designed to be worn by young children and has already received complaints from many parents but the store so far has refused to remove the offending shirt. Many drivers passing by honked their support towards the demonstrators, many of which are parents of youngsters that have died through violence and members of the Toledo chapter of the National Organization for Women. Kmart claims that the T-Shirt is intended to be light hearted but many people are complaining that the T-Shirts show that domestic violence is acceptable.

Parents of children who have been killed through violence gave a letter of complaint that was addressed to Aylwin Lewis who is the chief executive and president of Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent firm of the Kmart stores to a man named Charlie because they were not allowed into the building. A spokesman for Kmart said "We've heard and respect the opinions of our customers and the item is no longer available at Kmart. And we have no plans to reorder it." This store is the only store where demonstrators have protested about the T-Shirts but there have been complaints in other areas. A mother said that if such shirts were available at Kmart then "No wonder kids do the things they do." Another parent added "I think people need to speak out about corporations selling violence."

A recent Harvard Law School report discusses an innovative method to tackle potential increase in domestic violence perpetrators.

Domestic violence monitoring initiative proposed by Rosenfeld is signed into law.

Domestic abusers who violate their restraining orders will be required to wear a GPS tracking device, according to a new Massachusetts state law spearheaded by HLS lecturer Diane Rosenfeld '96. Signed into law on January 4, the GPS initiative was first presented to the Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence by Rosenfeld in early 2005.

Under the new law, if a domestic abuser enters a geographic "exclusion zone"—a court-determined restricted area, such as a victim’s home or workplace, or a child’s school—the GPS device will immediately alert both the domestic abuse victim and the police. According to existing Massachusetts law, any individual who violates his restraining order is eligible for a $5,000 fine and a prison sentence of more than two years.

Rosenfeld has also championed legislation that would create a universal danger assessment program, allowing police departments to screen every domestic abuse situation for "lethality factors"—common warning signs gathered from domestic homicide cases over the past 25 years.

Rosenfeld emphasized that the goal of the GPS law is to prevent future violence, while allowing battered women to stay in their homes and their communities without fear. "This legislation puts the responsibility for battering where it belongs—on the offender," she said.

Former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, who chaired the Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence, called the GPS bill a longtime personal priority. Many victims of domestic violence continue to be abused even after they have obtained restraining orders against their batterers, Healey said. The victims are often forced into hiding, fleeing their jobs, their homes and their families.

KERRY HEALY AND JARRETT BARRIOS
Technology against violence

By Kerry Healy and Jarrett Barrios | January 11, 2007

WHEN assessing domestic violence cases, threats to kill a woman and her children, abuse during pregnancy, and sexual jealousy are all lethality factors taken into account. Had they been used in issuing and enforcing Lien Lam's restraining order against her estranged husband, perhaps her infant daughter and the woman baby-sitting her would not be recovering from burns inflicted by the baby's father, Dung Van Tran, who is also recovering from burns.

According to court records, the Boston man had a long history of abusive violence toward his estranged wife, including violations of restraining orders. What can be done to stop those who seem bent on continuing their abusive behavior when their partner seeks to end the relationship? With the help of Diane Rosenfeld of Harvard Law School, we looked at how to improve the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence. On the last day of the 2005-2006 legislative session, a bill we filed was signed into law that will help remedy the loss of a victim's safety.

Under the new law, an offender who violates a domestic violence order of protection can be required by a judge to wear a device that provides Global Positioning System monitoring. The GPS helps enforce the restraining order by preventing the batterer from entering "liberty zones," such as the battered partner's domicile and place of work, their children's schools, and the residences of extended family members. Probation agents will monitor offenders to ensure that they do not breach these zones. If they do, a record of a restraining order violation will be made, thus making stalking and further violent attacks more difficult. Further, police and the victim are automatically phoned if the offender breaches the battered partner's liberty zone, thus minimizing the victim's fears of an unexpected confrontation with the batterer.

Continue reading "Technology against domestic violence" »

San Antonio faces a surge in the rate of domestic violence incidents. And this has put the administration in a fix. District Attorney is exasperated. She says “I am fed up with me who kill their wives”. Here is the detailed report:

Alarming Number of Domestic Violence Cases in SA

An alarming number of wives and girlfriends are dying at the hands of so-called "loved ones."

In San Antonio, the rate of domestic violence murders has almost doubled since 2005. Out of 119 total murders in the city in 2006, 31 people were killed by an acquaintance, 25 were the victims of domestic violence.

From jealous boyfriends to ex-husbands who cannot deal with a divorce, the numbers are frustrating for those who have waged a battle to stop domestic violence.

"Well, I'm fed up with men who kill their wives," said District Attorney Susan Reed. She added, "We have been working to make awareness of domestic violence a high priority."

In November, 50 billboards went up around the city to help bring awareness to the domestic violence problem. A year ago the Family Justice Center opened its doors. The facility is devoted to helping victims and families of domestic violence opened up.

Despite these moves, the numbers aren't going down.

The goal is to get to those living in an abusive relationship before things get out of control. Reed said only then can the lives of hundreds of San Antonio victims be saved.

Researches indicate majority of homeless people in the country are victims of domestic violence. Time to focus.
A perceptive analysis by Fred Gray for Petoskeynews.com

By far the largest segment of the homeless population in Northern Michigan, as well as in the rest of the country, is made up of women and children who have suffered from domestic violence.

For the past 30 years, the Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan has provided support for battered women and their children, including shelter, and has sought to educate the public of the problem.

The center recognizes that men can be victims as well, and are eligible for their services, although their numbers are far fewer than women.

Recently the Continuum of Care, a collaborative group that represents 19 organizations in Emmet and Charlevoix counties working to alleviate homelessness, included in its 10-year plan specific strategies toward ending homelessness for victims of domestic abuse

“We are committed to ending domestic violence in our community as well as offering supportive services to people that are experiencing it,” said Jamie Winters, chairperson of the Continuum of Care as well as safe home coordinator of the Women's Resource Center.

Continue reading "Domestic violence a major cause of homelessness" »

Another Possible Hall of Shame.
Sports announcer Jim Lampley has been accused of domestic violence.
News follows:

LOS ANGELES - Sports announcer Jim Lampley denied wrongdoing Thursday after being arrested for investigation of felony domestic violence.

The 57-year-old Lampley was taken into custody Wednesday and booked on the felony charge and investigation of violating a restraining order and dissuading a witness, both misdemeanors, said Mary Helmen, the supervisor of investigators of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's domestic violence unit.

Sheriff's Capt. Glenn Revell said Lampley was released from the Vista Detention Facility after posting $35,500 bail.
"The circumstances are that there was an altercation between Mr. Lampley and a 28-year-old female with whom he reportedly has a dating relationship," said Revell, adding he could release no additional details pending the presentation of a completed investigation to the district attorney's office.

According to court records, Candice Sanders wrote in an application for a restraining order that Lampley attacked her in her Encinitas apartment on New Year's Eve.

"I received injuries to my head, neck and back from his throwing me against the walls and door," she wrote.

Continue reading "Jim Lampley accused of domestic violence" »

Planning is underway for establishing animal shelter for pets of domestic violence victims in North Carolina. A news report:

WILMINGTON (AP) -- Some groups in New Hanover County are trying to raise money to provide help for pets of domestic violence victims.

The idea is to make it easier for people to get out of abusive situations.
Assistant District Attorney Joy Alford says any time an offender can gain the upper hand or control over their victim, they will use any means to do it.

Rick Hairston, executive director of Carolina Canines for Service, says that probably half of the more than a thousand victims who passed through Domestic Violence Shelter and Services doors in 2006 had pets.

Hairston says Carolina Canines' existing kennel doesn't have enough room to take on a project to help those victims and other families. Carolina Canines' volunteers will be on call 24 hours a day to pick up the animals once the shelter opens. The New Hanover County sheriff's office is donating a K-9 vehicle to pick up the animals and a cell phone for an on-call volunteer.

Actor Tyrese Gibson has been accused of domestic violence by his girlfriend. News report says:

Washington, Jan 5(ANI): Tyrese Gibson is in the center of a domestic violence investigation, after his pregnant girlfriend whose identity remains undisclosed, alleged that the 2 Fast 2 Furious star got violent with her during a verbal dispute.

The three-month pregnant live-in girlfriend claimed that the actor hit her twice in her arm and leg after the verbal quarrel in his Hancock Park home, following which he left the place and has not been seen since.

She was taken to a hospital, where the Los Angeles police say that she was examined and discharged with no visible injuries.

No arrests have taken place and the police are looking out for the actor for further inquiries.

Continue reading "Tyrese Gibson accused of domestic violence " »

According to Justice Department, domestic violence rate has fallen sharply in the US during the last decade. The International Herald Tribune says it could be thus owing to implementation of 1994 Violence Against Women Act that facilitated better police training and more funding for prosecution.
However, what is alarming is that racial disparities remain at large. Following is the detailed report:

WASHINGTON: Domestic violence rates fell sharply between 1993 and 2004, the Justice Department said, noting that American Indian women and native Alaskan women are far more likely to be victimized than whites and other minorities .

The Bureau of Justice Statistics said that "intimate partner violence" rates fell by more than 50 percent. The decline mirrored a decade-long trend in other violent crimes, and the department did not suggest a cause.

"There's still generally no consensus about why any crime in general has dropped," said Shannan Catalano, the study's author said Thursday. "It's safe to say it's more than one factor that went into it."

Some experts attribute the decline to better training for police and more funding for prosecution, two key elements of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. Investigators increasingly are better trained to handle abuse cases and bring them to court.

"For the first time, there are entire domestic violence units in law enforcement," said Lonna Stevens, director of the Sheila Wellstone Institute, a domestic violence organization. "We've had protocols and policies developed for responding to this."

In 1993, there were about 5.8 incidents of nonfatal violence for every 1,000 U.S. residents above the age of 12. By 2004, that number had fallen to 2.6, the agency said. Homicides fell by about 30 percent, from 2,269 in 1993 to 1,544 in 2004.

The Justice Department defines intimate partner violence as violence by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend or a same-sex partner.

Stevens said police have been less successful responding to and deterring abusive behavior in some minority communities, where racism and cultural differences can keep reporting rates low.

Over the 12-year reporting period, about 18 out of every 1,000 American Indian and native Alaskan women were victimized — a violence rate three times higher than among white women.

Black women were more likely than white women to be abused but the study also found that they were more likely to report their abuse to the police than white women.

Women in their early 20s and women who were divorced or separated had the greatest risk of being abused, the study found. Violence was also more common in low-income households.

Asian males, white males and the elderly reported the lowest rates of partner violence.

In 2006, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control [NCIPC] reported that 5.3 million women between the ages of 18 years and older experienced domestic violence in the U.S.

PR Leap furthers the discussion on some truths about domestic violence:

Annmarie Edwards, author and community leader, launches a new program focused on raising $100,000.00 for the “Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Campaign”, part of Interlace, a non-profit organization located in Asheville, NC. Edwards is giving 50% of the proceeds from the sale of her e-book, 50 Ways to Maximize Your Potential in support of Interlace and their efforts fighting domestic violence.

Continue reading "More truths about Domestic Violence" »

Posted by Saswat Pattanayak | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Domestic Violence

Bookmark:                                                  

North Carolina-based News 14 reports that 59 victims of domestic violence are being honored this Christmas in Durham. The city hall tree has been decorated with ornaments that carry the names of the victims.

Read the complete story:

-- Janice Carmack's name could have been on any one of the ornaments hanging on a Christmas tree in Durham's City Hall.

"I'm no different from any of those women. I'm just very, very fortunate and blessed," she said.

The ornaments represent 59 reported victims who lost their lives to domestic violence across the state this year. Carmack is a survivor.

"My husband has a mental disability and I excused his behavior because of that," said Carmack.
From Charlotte to Winston-Salem to Fayetteville, the City of Durham commemorated those who did not make it out alive with a memorial tree lighting ceremony.

Each name was read as an ornament was hung. It was a time to remember and a time to deliver a message.

"Domestic violence is about abusers and about us as a community standing up to them and holding them accountable to their behavior and that is what's going to stop domestic violence," said Marie Brodie with the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

It's watching a dramatization and standing in front of the tree, Carmack has a message of her own, get out and get help.

"Please reach out before it's too late for you and especially if you have children," she said.

It's a survivor's story in honor of those gone and their families who won't have their loved ones this holiday season.

City of Durham employees, community members, and organizations helped create the 59 ornaments that are hanging on the tree. It's on display in city hall until after Christmas.

A report from Colorado:

An Aurora man is facing several charges for breaking into his ex-girlfriends home and taking her Siamese fighting fish and putting it in the garbage disposal and turning it on as she watched in horror.

Uriah Williams, 23, is free on three-thousand dollars bond. He could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors say the case is serious because he was allegedly trying to intimidate his ex-girlfriend.

He will be back in court January 9th on charges of first-degree criminal trespass and aggravated cruelty to animals.

Prosecutors declined to name Williams' 24-year-old ex-girlfriend, since she's a victim of alleged domestic violence.

Holidays may not be all fun, what with the social demands and expectations raising stress levels, which in turn perpetuates the agonies of domestic violence victims, current and potential. Examiner has a report on the holiday trends affecting domestic violence.

Brentwood, MD - The holiday season brings cheer and joy to most people but also brings together factors that cause domestic violence, experts believe.

“There is more stress during the holidays over money, and people consume more alcohol at parties,” said Rena Pina, who works with the District of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “It’s a combination of a lot of things.”

Denise McCain, the director of the Family Crisis Center in Prince George’s County, said her organization sees more victims seeking assistance in January, after the holidays pass.

“The incidents occur during the holiday period, but there is a strong desire to want to put up a front during the holidays and to be with your family during the holidays,” McCain said. “They know they need help, they just wait until January.”

McCain’s organization will have an extra counselor to help the violence victims because of a $66,500 grant the center received Wednesday from Verizon Wireless. The money will give the center five full-time and two part-time counselors.

The crisis center’s grant was part of the $300,000 award Verizon distributed Wednesday among 11 nonprofit organizations throughout Maryland in honor of outgoing Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran.

In Montgomery County, the Family Support Center Inc. received a $10,000 grant from Verizon to assist the Keeping Sisters Strong Program, which teaches women how to protect themselves against becoming domestic violence victims.

“Few social issues touch individuals and families as profoundly as domestic violence and its devastating aftermath,” said Paul Wood, Verizon Maryland vice president.

Michael Cohen, of the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, said some crime statistics show that more domestic violence cases are reported to police during the summer months than other times of the year, including the holiday season.

“No one’s ever done a good study of why that happens, but there is plenty of speculation,” she said. “Maybe it is because the kids are out of school so women are more likely to report it. Or the windows are open more often so the neighbors hear it and call the police.”