Abuse Crosses All Socioeconomics

Here are tragic highlights from the show Wife Swap found on YouTube portraying the Stevens-Fowler and Long family. Abuse takes place in many forms regardless of socioeconomic background. Steven Fowler attempts to subjugate and demean Gayla Long through verbal and emotional abuse in addition to alienating his children from her.

The White House Proclaims October Domestic Violence Awareness Month

President Bush proclaimed October to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 2003. I wanted to highlight some of the parts of his speech since we are in October and the awareness is needed just as much today as ever. I am only posting a few things the President stated in his address below. For the full article you can click on the title link above. There obviously needs to be a lot more work and awareness here, but I applaud and thank President Bush for helping to break the silence.

President Bush said the following about Domestic Violence:

A home, a family should be a place of support, should be a peaceful place -- not a place of cruelty and brutality. Domestic violence betrays the most basic duties of life, it violates the law, it's wrong, it is a crime that must be confronted by individuals, by communities and by government.

Too often its victims suffer in secret and in silence.

Domestic violence cuts across every line of geography and income.

Abuse is found in every community in our country -- every community -- and it must be fought in every community.

Hundreds of thousands of incidents of domestic violence are reported every year. The sad news is, many go unreported.

About a third of women murdered each year in America are killed by this type of violence. And nearly half the households where domestic violence occurs also has a child under 12 years old. There's more than one victim.

Women and children are facing dangers in this country, and they need strong allies.

Imagine what it would be like if you were an abused person trying to find help and you went from one place to another. With laws and police and all the rules of a regulations of a free society, it must be confusing and disheartening. The victim has been so traumatized, and then she has to tell her story over and over again, which repeats the trauma. There's a better way to do this. There's a better way to help people who need help in our society.

We have a moral obligation in our society to help relieve the suffering and to show that there is a better life.

May God bless those who are victims of domestic violence. And may God continue to bless our country. Thank you.

New Law Permitting Victims to Break their Lease

An article in the New York Daily News today entitled "Abuse vics can break lease with judge OK" by CHRISENA COLEMAN is about new legislation permitting victims to break their leases in order to help them escape from their desperate situation.

This bill has become an answer to so many cases in which victims are penalized financially for trying to escape their situation.

The article states, "Johnson and Heastie said the legislation will remove one of the most important obstacles domestic violence victims face and they will have the freedom to leave on their own terms. Heastie said the bill has protections in place for landlords. The domestic violence issue cannot be used as an excuse to break a lease. Domestic violence victims will have to petition the judge in order to vacate the lease and landlords will be given an opportunity to be heard by the judge as well."

Aside from the article, it is a good step in the right direction that there is legislation being put forward to help give victims assistance. However, this legislation does not go far enough. Not all courts recognize domestic violence unless there is proven physical abuse, thus turning a blind eye towards acts that the victim may have had to endure. Clearly New York recognises there is a major problem here, but the legislation stops short of giving equal relief to ALL victims seeking escape from their terrifying situation.

My Name is Luka

Here's a video back from the 1980's called Luka by Suzanne Vega found on YouTube. Thank you Suzanne Vega for breaking the silence!