Category: Domestic Violence

Judge erred in blocking reporter – by Joshua Rozenberg

A circuit judge has said he is “not supportive” of moves to open the family courts to media scrutiny. That policy is not only endorsed by the most senior family judges in England and Wales; it has also been enshrined in law for nearly 15 years.

In remarks that he clearly did not expect to see published, HH Judge Haigh said:

If you want to know my view on the transparency project, it is not supportive. I have always felt these cases are deeply private and my judgments are there really for the parents — to help them, to help the families. They are not for public consumption or to allow press and journalists to further their journalistic ambitions.

Haigh was sitting as a judge of the family court in Manchester when he made these comments on 21 August. Hearings such as these are not open to the public but audio recordings are made by court staff. In a highly unusual move, a more senior judge ordered the entire day’s recording to be transcribed and then allowed the 62-page transcript to be published. It has been edited to ensure that members of the family involved cannot be identified.

Mrs Justice Lieven, the High Court judge who allowed publication of the transcript, said the case being heard by Haigh had been “a not unusual example of the kind of intractable dispute that takes place in the family court”. It involved “highly contentious private family law proceedings concerning a child under the age of five”. There were “allegations of domestic abuse and ‘parental alienation’ in the factual mix”.

Source: Judge erred in blocking reporter – by Joshua Rozenberg

‘It cannot be normal that men hurt us women’: what we can learn from the inquest into 4 Aboriginal women’s deaths in the NT

The landmark inquest is investigating how four women killed by their partners were failed by systems meant to protect them. How can we stop this from happening?

Over the past six months in the Northern Territory, Judge Elisabeth Armitage heard evidence about the shocking circumstances surrounding each woman’s death.

Each of the women had experienced years of severe abuse from their male partners, some of whom had served lengthy jail terms, and some of whom had long histories of violence, sometimes against multiple partners.

One of the women had called police 22 times. Another was herself arrested after calling police for help. The family of another was unaware of the exact nature and circumstances of her death and the sentence of her perpetrator because there were no interpreters in court when he was sentenced.

The inquest heard domestic violence has increased by 117% in the past ten years, and is projected to increase a further 73% in the next decade. As a result, police callout times to domestic violence incidents have more than doubled.

In the Northern Territory, domestic, family and sexual violence services are chronically under-funded and under-resourced.

Through the inquest, the specialist domestic, family and sexual violence sector learned that the Northern Territory government had rejected its own working group’s recommendation for funding of $180 million over five years, instead committing to only $20 million over two years.

As Ngeygo Ragurrk’s sister, Edna, said on the last day of the inquest: “It cannot be normal that men hurt us women. Everyone must do more from the start, not just after women get hurt or killed.”

Source: ‘It cannot be normal that men hurt us women’: what we can learn from the inquest into 4 Aboriginal women’s deaths in the NT

Tasmania Police are still mistaking family violence victims for abusers. For too many women, correcting the record is impossible – ABC News

For months domestic violence workers in Tasmania have been warning of a simmering misidentification crisis: of mounting cases where police have mistaken the victim for the perpetrator and taken out a protection order against them or charged them with criminal offences — with devastating consequences.

Unlike police forces in other jurisdictions, Tasmania Police have unique authority to issue final 12-month family violence orders which can only be revoked by the Magistrates Court — a central feature of 2004 reforms designed to strengthen the state’s response to family violence. But in too many cases, experts say, the system is backfiring on the people it’s supposed to protect, with misidentified victims finding it almost impossible to have orders overturned.

And the costs are incalculable: Tasmanians who have been wrongly named on PFVOs have lost their jobs, their children, their homes, their faith in police and, for some migrant and refugee women, their visa — their ticket to remain in Australia.

Data obtained by ABC News earlier this year showed police issue PFVOs against female respondents at more than triple the rate of courts, raising questions about whether officers are always picking the right perpetrator. Now, new figures reveal the number of applications to revoke PFVOs increased 102 per cent in the six years to June 2023, with applications by female respondents jumping 154 per cent.

“What I find interesting is the revocation of orders and the [apparent] misidentification is a lot higher for women,” said Yvette Cehtel, chief executive at Women’s Legal Service Tasmania. “That doesn’t surprise me because … I think women are much more likely than men to own up to their behaviour” — for instance, if they retaliated or fought back against an abusive partner.

Female victims of domestic violence in Australia are also misidentified because they’ve presented as “hysterical” or angry, or because police haven’t seen through an abuser’s calculated attempts to manipulate the system. Though there has been hardly any research on misidentification in Tasmania, studies in other states show First Nations women and those from culturally diverse communities are particularly at risk.

[Ed: And this problem extends beyond Tasmania.]

Source: Tasmania Police are still mistaking family violence victims for abusers. For too many women, correcting the record is impossible – ABC News

Greens member referred to police over teen sex claims

The ACT Greens have referred its own member Johnathan Davis to police after allegations emerged that he had sex with two teenage boys, aged 15 and 17-years-old.

ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury said two complaints about Mr Davis, who is the Greens’ spokesman for young people and family and domestic violence, earlier this week and asked the Legislative Assembly member to stand down.

The party has since referred the allegations to police amid mounting calls for Mr Davis to resign.

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One less option for vulnerable women as East Perth’s Safe Night Space trial comes to end – ABC News

  • A Safe Night Space for vulnerable people will close at the end of the month
  • Experts in the domestic violence space say they are bewildered by the decision
  • The government says it wants the centre to stay open

WA already has the highest rate of women who look for help from homelessness services who have also experienced family and domestic violence.

But Ruah says the rates at the Safe Night Space are even higher – with around 75 per cent of women who walk through its doors trying to escape it.

“There is an irony in the fact that we’re being forced to close, when the reality is the need has probably never been greater,” Ms Zanella said, referring to a spate of alleged murders in recent months suspected to be linked to domestic violence.

She said women in all sorts of situations approached the service.

“Women as young as 18 and as old as in their 70s. Women who are pregnant and escaping violence, women who are terrified, women who have been sexually assaulted prior to arriving at the service, women who’ve got mental health challenges,” Ms Zanella said.

Perth’s Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas insists it’s the right decision to bring the trial to an end.

He said it was only ever meant to be a two-year trial, which had already been extended until other services came online.

Both Ruah and Shelter WA say the growing demand for services is swamping any available capacity.

“We have seen extra beds in the city, but they’re all being utilised,” Shelter WA’s CEO Ms Snell said.

Source: One less option for vulnerable women as East Perth’s Safe Night Space trial comes to end – ABC News

‘Epidemic’ of violence against women a national crisis | The Canberra Times | Canberra, ACT

A recent spate of violent deaths has politicians calling for better support for women and a national approach to tackling the scourge.

About 50 women have been killed in Australia this year, five of them in the past 10 days.

The deaths spanned the nation with women found dead in Perth, Bendigo, Canberra, Sydney, the Hunter region and Aldinga beach in South Australia.

In a joint statement Liberal MP Bridget Archer, Labor MP Alicia Payne and Greens spokeswomen on women Larissa Waters urged governments to tackle the root causes of violence, and transform harmful social norms that can lead to femicide.

They also called for more funding for frontline services that provide help to women escaping violence.

Source: ‘Epidemic’ of violence against women a national crisis | The Canberra Times | Canberra, ACT

Australia is in a domestic violence ‘crisis’. Experts say we need a whole-of-society change | SBS News

  • Six women have been killed in Australia, allegedly by people they knew, in the last two weeks.
  • Advocates, support services and politicians say Australia is in the midst of a domestic violence crisis.
  • What is Australia doing to prevent domestic and family violence, and is it enough?

Source: Australia is in a domestic violence ‘crisis’. Experts say we need a whole-of-society change | SBS News

Exposure Draft: Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 – Attorney-General’s Department – Citizen Space

 

The release of the draft Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 (the exposure draft) is an opportunity to provide feedback on proposed amendments that seek to achieve this outcome.

Closes 10 Nov 2023

Opened 18 Sep 2023

Source: Exposure Draft: Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 – Attorney-General’s Department – Citizen Space

Parents could be charged with domestic abuse for not using their child’s preferred pronoun under controversial guidelines|UK

A fresh row erupted yesterday over controversial guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service that could allegedly lead to parents being charged with domestic abuse for not using their child’s preferred pronoun.

The CPS faced claims it was ‘losing the plot’ over guidance that could also mean someone who refuses to fund their partner’s transitioning process could be committing a serious offence.

However, The Mail on Sunday was told the CPS was now reviewing its controversial ‘Impacts of Domestic Abuse’ advice.

Source: Parents could be charged with domestic abuse for not using their child’s preferred pronoun under controversial guidelines

Mom Braves Jail rather than Reveal Whereabouts of Molested Daughter

5th “History of the Crisis” Case: The Court Cabal Takes Off

A Boston mom chooses to be jailed for contempt rather than divulge the whereabouts of her daughter in our fifth “History of the Crisis” segment. Virginia’s ex-husband was sexually assaulting her 6 year-old on visits and she could bear it no more, so she chooses to brave incarceration to ensure her daughter’s safety.

Virginia’s case was the first to be subjected to the entire cabal which worked against her. Every one of them did their job covering up the abuse and steering the case to the father.

Women began gaining substantial rights and freedoms in the early 1970’s which enabled them to divorce their husbands. That meant men were losing control in the area they wanted it most: over “their” women and family.

Hence, the backlash began.

Family Court became the means for men to continue their age-old control in the family. Tactics evolved for the next 20 years. By the early ’90’s, the Old Boy strategies were honed to a T. Judges controlled with carrots and sticks. Insider cabals rewarded for assisting in the agenda.

Done. Women were officially screwed from then on.

And nothing has changed. Because women have been fighting the wrong things—thanks to one of the most effective backlash strategies: convince women the Post-Separation Crisis is not a gendered issue. Divert them into calling for piecemeal, useless reforms within the Family Court system. When what is needed is an entirely new system.

Source: Mom Braves Jail rather than Reveal Whereabouts of Molested Daughter