Press Release: Media Guide for Gender-Neutral Coverage of Politics

Press release, in its entirety:

WMC Releases Media Guide for Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates and Politicians

March 26, 2012

Contact: Rachel Larris at rachel@womensmediacenter.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today the Women’s Media Center releases a new Media Guide for its Name It. Change It. Project, which works to identify, prevent and end sexist media coverage of women candidates and politicians. The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians (click to download) shows members of the media how to avoid injecting sexism into their own coverage and how to spot sexism in other’s.

Julie Burton, President of the Women’s Media Center, says “This guide was created to show journalists and other media professionals how the use of even subtly sexist language affects woman candidates’ success in the political arena.”

The Name It. Change It. project, a joint partnership between the Women’s Media Center and She Should Run, addresses sexism in the media directed at women candidates, politicians and high-profile individuals.

“With the release of this guide, the Women’s Media Center hopes to make the use of all sexist language both recognizable and unacceptable in politics,” Burton says.

Gloria Steinem, Co-Founder of the Women’s Media Center, says, “Studies show that like bullying, the trivializing sexism used against women candidates makes voters not want to associate with them. The problem is that sexism itself is viewed as trivial. This guide makes its seriousness clear, and helps reporters be fair by using parallel language for both female and male candidates.”

The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians features groundbreaking research by Celinda Lake on the affect of media sexism on women candidates, as well a glossary of terms from Rosalie Maggio’s Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center’s Guide to Fair + Accurate Language, which provides definitions, background information, and suggested alternative uses for many loaded and politically incorrect terms.

Robin Morgan, co-Founder of the Women’s Media Center says, “Media sexism is used against women candidates and elected officials of all political viewpoints; it isn’t limited to one political party, and the Name It. Change It. project fights that sexism wherever we find it. We hope that members of the media sign our pledge to treat all subjects with respect, regardless of gender, and to create an overall media culture in which sexism has no place.”

“This shouldn’t be a radical notion,” Morgan says. “Giving women unequal treatment in media coverage is plain bad journalism–and its bad for democracy. Hopefully with this guide and the continuing work of the Name It. Change It. project, more members of the media will understand why this is important to them.”

The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians is available for free download onWomensMediaCenter.com and at NameItChangeIt.org.

###

Are you a reporter?  Check out shesource.org. 
If you see something in the news that needs a response, please let us know.

Press release on domestic violence and child custody policies in Hawaii

Media Advisory – Hawaii House of Representatives

June 20, 2011 – For Immediate Release

Contact: Office of Rep. John Mizuno, Telephone: 808-586-6050, Cell: 808-741-0639

LAWMAKERS TO HOLD BRIEFING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HEAR CONCERNS FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS AND DISCUSS THE NEED FOR POLICY CHANGE

Several domestic violence survivors will share their story of how they lost custody of their child(ren) to the abuser, even after a finding of domestic violence by the abuser

WHAT:            The House Human Services Chairman, Rep. John Mizuno, will hold a legislative briefing to address domestic violence in Hawaii.  Rep. Mizuno will identify certain concerns involving specific failures of the current “system” in adequately addressing domestic violence.  Rep. Mizuno will also be hearing from domestic violence victims, survivor advocates, and agencies working directly with domestic violence victims, issuing protective orders and temporary restraining orders.

 The briefing will:

              

                       • Identify and address concerns regarding domestic violence in Hawaii

                       • Explain the reason for the various bills which seek to provide greater protection for domestic violence victims

                       • Explain the difficulties in passing measures which seek to improve the state’s system in handling domestic violence cases

 

WHEN:            Tuesday, June 21, 2011 – 11:35 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (Televised in Hawaii on Ch. 53, for Neighbor Island residents and nationwide go to the internet www.olelo.org – click NATV Ch. 53 for online live stream coverage)

WHERE:           Hawaii State Capitol, Room 329

WHY:              Rep. Mizuno was contacted by several survivors of domestic violence who will be sharing their stories with lawmakers during the briefing. According to Rep. Mizuno, “It is extremely concerning to hear that time after time the abusers who beat our victims, many times end up gaining custody of the children.  Based on our victims’ testimonies and information provided by organizations and advocates for domestic violence victims, I believe our current system has many major flaws in properly addressing domestic violence issues.  Therefore, I am looking for solid solutions to better address domestic violence statewide at the conclusion of this briefing.”

 -end-

Press Release: Historic US Supreme Court Case

May 5, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONFERENCE May 6th, 2011 at 12 Noon
Location:  US Supreme Court One First Street, NE Washington, DC 20543                                                                                             
Sidewalk in front of the US Supreme Court
                             
                 HISTORIC US SUPREME COURT CASE
Child Advocates and Legal Scholars are anxiously awaiting the filing of a
Petition for Writ of Certiorari on May 6, 2011 at 12 noon at the US Supreme
Court in Washington, D.C. in the Sacks v. Sacks case.

This truly will be an  Historic Day at the US Supreme Court, for  America’s
children and their “Protective Parents”, as this landmark case is being hand
delivered by a Florida Mother and exposes a national crisis all over the US.

The Sacks v. Sacks case is the perfect opportunity for the US Supreme Court to
thoroughly explore and address the issue of Battered Mothers and child abuse,
and their documented evidence of “protective parents” losing custody  and the
failure of family courts and Child Protective Services to thoroughly investigate
and handle Domestic Violence, child sexual/and or child physical abuse cases
properly, therefore resulting in a verdict, contrary to the “bests interests of
the child(ren)”.

Kathleen Russell, from the Center for Judicial Excellence, in the California
Progress Report, on 10/19/09 “When Family Courts Get It Wrong”, says “When a
parent harms his or her own child, family courts are supposed to step in and
safeguard the victim. Can you imagine what a tragedy it would be if courts
awarded custody to the wrong parent Actually according to one conservative
estimate, more than 58, 000 children a year are court ordered by family courts
into unsupervised visitation contact with physically or sexually abusive parents
following a divorce in the U.S. The fact that this type of scandal is taking
place in the American justice system defies the imagination. Not since the Roman
Catholic Church pedophile scandal has the US seen this type of institutional
harm inflicted on innocent children.” (www.centerforjudicalexcelllence.org)

The National Organization for Women, NOW and the NOW Ad Hoc Law Committee
are  addressing this issue and in their Spring 2011,  “and explore what can
happen to  a protective mother and her children when she does nothing more than
to protect her children”, as quoted on page 36 of the Petition for Certiorari.

The Petitioner, in the US Supreme Court case, Linda Marie Sacks, has been chosen
as the “Poster Mother” of the Family Court Crisis, is interviewed for the
article.(www.now.org) Click on the Family Law Spring Newsletter.
On April 21, 2011,  in the BMCCVI Digest Number 2011, reports that Eileen King
representing Justice for Children participated in the Office of Violence Against
Women Roundtable Discussion that took place at George Washington University Law
School. The Roundtable was organized by Rita Smith, the Director of the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Prof. Joan Meier, Director of the
Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DVLEAP) at GWU Law
School. OVW will post a report about the Roundtable on their website in the near
future. (www.justiceforchildren.org) and (www.dvleap.org)

As noted by Barry Goldstein, Esq. The Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) is
part of the US Justice Department that provides grants for programs to reduce
and prevent domestic violence. They recently sponsored a forum for their staff
and other professionals in various parts of the government to learn about the
crisis in the custody court system.

 “It was a discussion based upon current scientific research and actual
experiences that courts are routinely making catastrophic mistakes in failing to
protect children and domestic violence survivors.

Linda Marie Sacks, a Florida Mother, truly the “All American Mom”, has only seen
her children at the Family Tree House Visitation Center for  82 hours in the
last 4 years and 2 months, is challenging the “Best Interests of The Children”
Statute 61.13,  as Domestic Violence, child sexual and physical abuse must be
considered in a judge’s decision determining the “Best Interests of the
Children”. In the Pro se Cert  Petition, Sacks raises  the constitutional
implications of a fit parent to the care, custody, of her children, and without
a finding of unfitness by clear and convincing evidence, established by the US
Supreme Court ruling in Santosky v. Kramer, U.S. 745, 769-770 (1982).

Her daughters said in April 2007, “Mommy fight for us and do something every day
to get us back and don’t ever stop”. Their Mother not only kept her promise to
them, but nowisa national spokesperson on the child custody crisis, and is
speaking up for her children, and all of America’s children affected by the
failure of our justice system to protect our most innocent children from sexual
and physical abuse. She is a formidable legal opponent, as she has been self
taught, going to “Internet Law School” to continue her legal challenge after
spending $140,000 to undo an unjust custody decision. The Fifth District Court
of Appeals REVERSED and REMANDED the issue of child custody back to the lower
court  for a violation of the Petitioners constitutional rights to due process,
in 08/08. This rare reversal provided no relief as the lower court of Judge
Shawn L. Briese refused to abide by the Appeals court and refused to protect the
children and said one child lied about being sexually abused.

In an article by John Weiss, from Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN , “Do children
lie about sexual abuse? Not Usually.” Children do lie, but seldom about being
abused. “All human beings can and do lie, but it’s hard for kids to do it about
sex”, said Victor Vieth, the director of the national Child Protection Training
Center at Winona State University. “They can’t lie about something they have no
knowledge of” he said, and children don’t learn about oral sex from Sesame
Street.

Dr. Deborah Day of Psychological Affiliates, the court ordered custody evaluator
said the minor child at 8 years old had pediatric bipolar and that negates any
child sexual abuse, and then  thwarted the DCF investigation. The court record
clearly showed that the child DID NOT have bipolar, but  the trial court still
refused to protect the children, which is typical from cases all over the US.
 
One day justice will prevail for America’s children. Could it be in the Sacks v.
Sacks case?
 
 National Advocacy groups and Mothers will be attending events to shed light on
this crisis in America’s Courts.
Mothers Day, May 8th, 2011  in Washington DC will also have the Mothers of Lost
Children from 6-9:30 PM at the White House. 

6:00-9:30 p.m.
6:00 pm speak out
7:00 pm march
7:45 Candlelight vigil
Information will be available on Sunday night about activities onMonday.
And another group will be having the:
 
Million Mom March Mother’s Day 2011 in Washington DC
Feb 152011
 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Million-Mom-March-Mothers-Day-2011-in-Washington-DC/153380204718360?sk=info

CONTACT:
http://americanmotherspoliticalparty.org/
 

For more information and press
Please contact:
Kathleen Russell 
Executive Director
Center for Judicial Excellence
495 Miller Avenue, Suite 304
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Main 415.388.9600 Fax 415.388.4610
 
http://www.CenterforJudicialExcellence.org

Press release: Anti-abortion billboards demean black women and black community

From Goddesses Rising:

Contact:

Toni M. Bond Leonard (312) 919-1211

Cherisse Scott (773) 503-7489

BLACK WOMEN FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE SAY ANTI-ABORTION BILLBOARDS ON CHICAGO’S SOUTHSIDE ARE DEMEANING TO BLACK WOMEN AND THE ENTIRE BLACK COMMUNITY

Trust Black Women coalition member, Black Women for Reproductive Justice demand that billboards be taken down accusing Black women of killing potential Black leaders

CHICAGO, IL, March 29, 2011: Black Women for Reproductive Justice (BWRJ) is speaking out against the three billboards recently placed by the anti-choice group, LifeAlways, at 5812 South State Street, featuring the image of President Barack Obama that targets Black women for having abortions and demands that they be taken down.

Toni Bond Leonard, BWRJ President/CEO, says “The groups behind these heinous attacks upon Black women care nothing about Black children or the Black community. These are some of the same groups who fought against healthcare reform and oppose government safety net programs that would directly benefit Black women, our families and our communities.” “This billboard and the twenty-nine others they plan to erect are offensive to Black women and the Black community, overall. We saw them cowardly placing the billboards in the dark late last night. These billboards are painting an abhorrent image of Black women as perpetrators of a plan to eradicate the future Black race.” “That they would place these billboards in the Black community with such a despicable lie is reprehensible. It also must not go unnoted that they placed the billboards on the side of a building facing a vacant lot filled with garbage and broken glass. This only further shows their disrespect for Black women and the Black community that all they could think to do was put up billboards telling us Black women are preventing future leaders from being born. What about highlighting the need for economic resources to remove garbage-filled lots in urban areas and creating safe communities,” says Bond Leonard.

BWRJ says their research has revealed that LifeAlways is, in fact, financially supported by the anti-choice group Heroic Media which has been involved in numerous fundraising events for former Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Cherisse Scott, BWRJ’s Health Educator/Campaign Coordinator says, “The fact that LifeAlways and Heroic Media would use the bodies of Black women as a way to further their own political agenda is unconscionable.” “Black women have the least access to reproductive and sexual health education including family planning, prevention and transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. Our communities are overwrought with violence, lack of access to education, high rates of unemployment, and lack of access to healthy foods. Those are the real issues – not Black women making the decisions that we understand are in the best interest of our families.”

BWRJ is one of the Midwest anchor organizations for Trust Black Women, a national coalition of Black women’s reproductive justice organizations around the country, who have come together to take a stance in defending reproductive justice for Black women and girls.

“We will not fall for, or stand silently by while those who are against human rights attempt to divide the Black community around reproductive and sexual justice issues,” says Bond Leonard. “Groups like LifeAlways and Heroic Media cannot pull the wool over Black women’s eyes and that of the Black community. We will not be silent victims in this assault upon our reproductive and racial integrity. Their placement of these billboards in the Black community only further highlights their lack of competency around the reproductive health disparities that Black women and girls face and these groups’ unwillingness to deal with the social and economic disparities of the entire Black community.”

Press release: International Human Rights Hearing on Rape Epidemic in Haiti

Source: Madre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stephanie Küng, MADRE (212) 627-0444, media@madre.org   

International Human Rights Hearing on Rape Epidemic in Haiti

Wednesday, March 23—New York, NY—This Friday, petitioners MADRE, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), CUNY School of Law and Women’s Link Worldwide will testify before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington, DC on the crisis of sexual violence in Haiti.

In October, the aforementioned group of advocates and attorneys submitted a legal petition to the IACHR, calling for immediate action to address the epidemic of rape in Haiti’s displacement camps.  In response, the IACHR issued a call for urgent “precautionary measures” to protect women and girls in the camps.  As an IACHR member state, the Haitian government is legally obligated to uphold this ruling.  These measures include the installation of lighting, the provision of security and the inclusion of grassroots women’s voices in policy-making spaces.

At this Friday’s hearing, the petitioners will underscore the constant threat of sexual violence faced by women and girls in Haiti’s displacement camps and the need for immediate implementation of the IACHR’s recommendations.  They will highlight the need for the international community to support the capacity of the Haitian government to meet its human rights obligations.  Malya Villard-Appolon, Marie Eramithe Delva and Jocie Philistin, representatives of KOFAVIV, a grassroots Haitian women’s organization founded by and for rape survivors, will participate in this hearing.

This hearing is open to the public.

Date of Hearing: Friday, March 25, 2011
Time: 9am-10am
Location: 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC, Rubén Darío Room (8th floor, GSB)

Malya Appolon-Villard, co-founder of KOFAVIV, said, “Every day, we see women and girls who have been raped.  They have no protection in the camps, and their attackers go unpunished.  The IACHR’s binding decision for the Haitian government is a first step, and we are ready to work with the IACHR and all of our international partners to ensure that the Haitian government fulfills these demands.”

Lisa Davis, MADRE Human Rights Advocacy Director and Adjunct Professor of Law for the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at CUNY Law School, said, “The situation for women and girls living in displacement camps remains dire.  The IACHR decision was triggered by the demands of grassroots Haitian women, and now the international community must commit to support the Haitian government in its implementation.”

Annie Gell, Coordinator of the Rape Accountability and Prevention Project (RAPP) at the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, applauded the IACHR for its decisive precautionary measures. “The BAI and its US-affiliate, IJDH, now call on the Haitian government and international community to fully commit to increased cooperation with and support of grassroots Haitian groups and their allies. This must include support for domestic prosecutions of rapists through initiatives in Haiti like the BAI’s RAPP initiative. Together, we can end this nightmare.”

Katherine Romero, Staff Attorney for Women’s Link Worldwide, said, “The Inter-American Commission is setting a global precedent by ensuring the rights of victims of sexual violence in contexts of natural disaster and humanitarian emergencies are being duly protected. We expect the rest of the international community to join in.”

To read the legal petition submitted to the IACHR in full, click here.

Immediately after the hearing, the following people will be available for comment:

Malya Appolon-Villard, Marie Eramithe Delva and Jocie Philistin, KOFAVIV Representatives

Lisa Davis, Esq., MADRE Human Rights Advocacy Director and Adjunct Professor of Law for the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at CUNY Law School

Annie Gell, Esq., the BAI’s Coordinator of the Rape Accountability and Prevention Project (RAPP) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Contact: annie@ijdh.org    

Katherine Romero, Staff Attorney, Women’s Link Worldwide

Press release: The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights Condemns the Violations on Female Activists

The English version of this press release is available on AWID.

“The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights followed up the events of March the 8th on the occasion of International Women’s Day in a great worry. The celebration events started with an initiative of young women and men who gathered in Al Tahrir Square in order to salute female and male martyrs of the Revolution as well as their mothers and to remind the society and decision makers with the necessity of involving women in phases of the democratic transition in Egypt.

ECWR participated in supporting this initiative; for female and male activists went to the Square and then a group of oppositionists surrounded them to discuss their demands. The gathering reflected at the beginning a civilized way of discussion; however, a number of thugs gathered pretending opposition then it turned to be attack on women and men activists by beating and sexual harassment…

National Women’s History Month press kit

Okay, now there’s no excuse, here’s your press kit for National Women’s History Month:

National Women’s History Project

2011 Press Release

For More Information:
Contact the National Women’s History Project WWW.NWHP.ORG or call 707-636-2888.

March is National Women’s History Month.

This celebration, designated by Joint Resolutions of the House and Senate and
Proclamations by five American Presidents, is an opportunity to honor and celebrate
women’s historic achievements.

Each year National Women’s History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes
national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. For 2011, the theme is Our
HISTORY is Our Strength. This year, instead of recognizing national honorees, local
communities, organizations and institutions throughout the country are asked to honor
women within their own communities or organizations.

Our HISTORY is Our Strength pays tribute to the millions of women who helped
create a better world for the times in which they lived as well as for future generations.
Knowing the challenges these women faced, grappled with, and overcame can be an
enormous source of strength to all of us. During today’s difficult times, Our HISTORY
is Our Strength can serve as an important reminder to our nation that adversity can be
overcome.

The stories of women’s achievements are integral to the fabric of our history. Learning
about women’s tenacity, courage, and creativity throughout the centuries is a tremendous
source of strength. Until relatively recently, this sphere of women’s history was
overlooked and undervalued. Women’s achievements were often distorted, disdained,
and denied. But, knowing women’s stories provides essential role models for everyone.
And role models are genuinely needed to face the extraordinary changes and unrelenting
challenges of the 21st century.

Discovering the remarkable achievements of women helps diminish the tendency of some
modern-day pundits to dismiss and trivialize who women are and what they accomplish.
In celebrating women’s historic achievements, we present an authentic view of history.
The knowledge of women’s history provides a more expansive vision of what a woman
can do. This perspective can encourage girls and women to think larger and bolder, and
can give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience.

What is your school, community or organization doing to celebrate National Women’s
History Month this March? For more information and resources to commemorate
multicultural women’s history and to celebrate Our HISTORY is Our Strength, visit

WWW.NWHP.ORG

“Father absent households” ignores women and blames them at the same time

Here’s a press release regarding the National Fatherhood Initiative. Notice that single Moms (even gay & lesbian couples) running a household and raising children are now absent themselves and relegated to being “father absent”households. I’m quite surprised Obama is supporting all of this. Can you imagine being referred to as “husband absent” or “boyfriend absent” if you were single?

What about “mother absent” households?

“Father absence” is also used as a proxy to say single moms are the the cause of social ills (instead of things like say poverty, gun laws, drugs, etc.) and the reason their sons are incarcerated. Oh, those horrible single women!!

$150 million – at a time of belt tightening? When programs to help women & children are being cut? If the money went directly to single women – wouldn’t that help these families more?!

Saying fathers hold the key to ridding society of social ills – Why? Because patriarchy has worked so well?!?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2011
National Fatherhood Initiative Applauds Congress’ Extension of
Fatherhood and Marriage Funding
One-Year Extension Needed to Allow Critical Family-Strengthening Work to Continue

(Germantown, MD) — National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) hails the one-year, $150 million
extension of the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grants program, as passed in
the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.

The grant program, first passed in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 as part of a 5-year TANF
reauthorization, is set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year. NFI applauds Congress’
foresight in passing a one-year extension of the program ahead of an eventual multi-year
reauthorization of TANF and the corresponding fatherhood and marriage funding.
Allowing the funding to continue uninterrupted is a critical step in ensuring that this important
work continues to be carried out by community-based organizations across the country. Since
2005, hundreds of organizations have been able to enhance their family-strengthening work
through funds from this program, administered by the Administration for Children and
Families’ Office of Family Assistance. Additionally, a national clearinghouse for fatherhood and
a national resource center for marriage were funded, providing support for such programs at the
national level, and media campaigns drawing attention to the importance of these issues.

Roland C. Warren, president of NFI said, “At a time of tight budgets and fiscal constraints, this
work is especially valuable, as it produces significant cost-savings on other government
programs designed to deal with the consequences of family breakdown. NFI’s “100 Billion
Dollar Man” study found that the federal government spends at least $100 billion annually
supporting father-absent homes. The relatively small investment represented by the Healthy
Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grant Program serves to help prevent family breakdown,
saving billions down the road. Call your members of Congress to express your support for this
important program.”

Congress’ work in this area reflects priorities expressed by President Obama since taking office
in 2009. The President’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has made
responsible fatherhood one of its four focus areas. The President also formed a Healthy Families
and Responsible Fatherhood Task Force, of which Mr. Warren is a part, to advise the
Administration on how to best approach family-strengthening issues. Finally, the President’s
fiscal year 2012 budget included $150 million in support of these programs.
As the premier fatherhood renewal organization in the country, National Fatherhood Initiative
(NFI) works in every sector and at every level of society to engage fathers in the lives of their
children. NFI is the #1 provider of fatherhood resources in the nation. Since 2004, through
FatherSOURCE, its national resource center, NFI has distributed over 5.7 million resources, and
MEDIA CONTACT
Vincent DiCaro
Vice President of Public Affairs
240-912-1270
vdicaro@fatherhood.org
# # #

Press release: Mothers Rights groups to hold a vigil and press conference for Valentines Day

Mothers of Lost Children

Contact Anne Hart 916-715-5243

 

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2011 at 11:00 am, Mothers of Lost Children will hold a press conference in front of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC. They are protesting the enormous expenditure of tax dollars to help ex-prisoners and known abusers connect with their children, and the heartbreak for mothers and children when this funding is misused and misapplied.  A vigil and speakout by mothers and chlild victims will be held at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW on Sunday February 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

During the past two decades, mothers have been losing custody of their children (even nursing infants) in increasing numbers to fathers who are convicted or identified batterers, child molesters, drug addicts, gang-bangers and felons. Family courts force children into the custody of abusive fathers at alarming rates, allowing these men to continue controlling and abusing their victims.  Research shows that 70% of batterers who ask for custody get it. Safe mothers who left the abusers in order to protect their children are frequently labeled “unfriendly” and are inappropriately ordered to supervised visitation or denied all contact with their children.

“The reason, in part,” says Karen Anderson, Executive Director of California Protective Parents Association, “lies in a misguided and dangerous objective of the Fatherhood Initiative to give fathers access to their children regardless of the risk they pose.”  ‘The goal is to have former prisoners paying child support and reconnecting with their children as soon as possible,’ (Washington Post June 21, 2010.) 

“It’s crazy to believe that allowing violent men to care for children is a good idea.  Vulnerable children should not be used as guinea pigs to try to rehabilitate criminals,” says Anderson.     

The National Fatherhood Initiative website states in 15 years it has “ensured that two million more children are living with their fathers”.  The Leadership Council research indicates 58,000 children are placed with abusers every year. These statistics may be connected.  

 

“Thousands of former prisoners and identified abusers have also discovered that if they get custody, they can receive child support instead of paying it.” says Ms. Anderson. “It’s a batterers’ and molesters’ paradise. Federally-funded supervised visitation centers are meant to protect children during visits with potentially dangerous fathers. Instead, family courts order safe mothers to see their children under supervision, which means the children aren’t able to tell their mothers about abuse by their fathers. That way the Fatherhood Initiative goals are met to access even more federal funds.”    

 

During this time of deep fiscal crisis, when children are hungry and parents are penniless, $500,000,000.00 dollars designated to increase marriage and promote ex-prisoners to reconnect with and often harm children is doubly offensive. 

 

Mothers of Lost Children call for a Congressional investigation into the failure of family courts to protect children and potential fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars. 

www.mothers-of-lost-children.com

Here’s the site of the Fatherhood Initiative on the page for incarcerated fathers. I have 3 questions about this:

1) Shouldn’t these fathers have stayed out of prison if they wanted to be in their children’s lives?

2) Why aren’t they concerned that Mothers aren’t connected with their children when they’re incarcerated? Prison shouldn’t be a bar to motherhood

3) Why do they think father absence (read: single mothers) causes children to:

• Be poor
• Use drugs
• Experience educational problems
• Experience health problems
• Experience emotional problems
• Experience behavioral problems
• Be victims of child abuse
• Engage in criminal behavior

Read about these myths in the Liz Library

This is what I found under “the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative” – Family Justice Institute: BJA partners with the Family Justice Institute to provide training and technical assistance to agencies that work with offenders and their families on reunification programming when offenders return to the community. Found here: http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/Incarceration/index.shtml

Here’s the information about the grants:

To this end, with support from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Family Assistance, NFI announces availability of 25 awards, each in the amount of $25,000, for local community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and other grassroots fatherhood agencies. Through a competitive bidding process, top applicants will receive funds for the specific purpose of increasing capacity to develop their fatherhood programming, and to improve their financial sustainability by becoming more familiar with—and better qualified to receive—federal or private philanthropic support.

Some examples of fatherhood programs could include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Parenting education programs for new and expecting fathers, teen fathers, fathers in need of general parenting skills, or fathers with special needs children
2. Programs providing marriage counseling, relationship counseling and/or divorce counseling
3. Support groups for stay-at-home and/or single fathers
4. Programs for incarcerated fathers
5. Programs providing court-mandated fathering skills training
6. Job skills training and/or job placement programs that include a fatherhood component

Here’s information on abusers seeking custody from the Leadership Council:

Although women are more likely to get custody of their children, this is often because they are more likely to ask for it. When men ask for custody, they often get it. According to a report by the American Psychological Association, an abusive man is more likely than a nonviolent father to seek sole physical custody of his children and may be just as likely (or even more likely) to be awarded custody as the mother (APA, 1996). A report by the American Judges Foundation, reported that 70% of the time an abuser who requests custody is able to convince the court to give it to him.

Press release: Teen videos show human toll of scathing CA audit report

 

 

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:

January 24, 2011 Scott Alonso- 415.747.4199 cell

Steve Burdo- 415.261.4784 cell

Teen Videos Show Human Toll of Scathing CA Audit Report

Thursday’s Report Slams Family Courts for Unqualified, Untrained Professionals

SACRAMENTO – Compelling video and written testimony from California teenagers about uncaring family court professionals ruining their lives and forcing them into contact with abusive parents shows the tragic human impacts of an official report released Thursday by the California Bureau of State Audits.

“These video clips show the tragic impacts of a broken family court system, said Kathleen Russell, Executive

Director for the Marin County-based Center for Judicial Excellence. “The American people will be stunned that this is going on. These untrained court staff and appointees yield tremendous power over the physical and sexual safety of children of divorcing parents, and their mistakes result in thousands of kids being held hostage and kept away from loving family members,” she said. The teen videos detail family court problems in California counties that were not audited, as well as one of the two counties that was.

The long awaited California state audit report slams the Marin and Sacramento Family Courts for failing to ensure that the court professionals who routinely make recommendations that determine the outcomes of contested custody disputes possess the minimum qualifications and training to perform their duties. The report also criticized the courts’ handling of litigant complaints, potential conflicts of interest and payments to minor’s counsel, among other issues.The audit was stalled for eight months until the courts were threatened with subpoenas because they refused to grant access to the records and personnel needed to conduct the audit. It was later discovered that the Marin Family Court shredded important mediator working files for more than two weeks during the standoff with the State Auditor, and the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts admitted to granting prior permission to theMarin Court to destroy family court documents during the audit. The California audit is the first government review of a family court system in many years, and its results have national relevance since the family court crisis extends far beyond California’s borders.

The Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence estimates that 58,000 children per year in

America are being court-ordered into full custody or unsupervised visits with parents that the children claim are physically and sexually abusing them. The California report indicates that numerous mediators working in the audited counties lacked proof that they had completed even the basic required training in domestic violence.

The report validates ongoing complaints that have been filed for years by attorneys, litigants, child advocates and domestic violence groups that the family court culture is marked by a severe lack of accountability and even lawlessness. These claims have been repeatedly raised – and routinely ignored by courts nationwide– for more than a decade. Courts have routinely dismissed legitimate reports of due process violations as the handiwork of“a few disgruntled litigants.”“These are things we have been talking about for years, and we’ve been ignored,” says Connie Valentine of the California Protective Parents Association.

Contact Scott Alonso at 415-747-4199 or scott@kathleenrussell.com for access to the teens’ sensitive testimony & videos. Visit http://www.bsa.ca.gov/ to download the audit report; and www.centerforjudicialexcellence.org 

http://ca3cacaca.blogspot.com/ , and http://www.protectiveparents.com/cases.html for more information on the national family court crisis that is placing thousands of kids in harm’s way.