Sunday, October 5, 2008

No Exceptions


Across the County, Prosecutors and State's Attorney Offices have and are currently ignoring the Federal Violence Against Women Act.

Victims who seek services for assistance from the legal system in domestic violence, stalking, rape, court orders of protection are in Violation of a Federal Act that has been on the books since 1994, when Senator Biden worked with organizations across the country in this ground breaking legislation. If you click Here you will be able to read the full act.


{example of federal language in the law}
‘‘Subtitle J—Violence Against Women Act
Court Training and Improvements
‘‘SEC. 41001. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This subtitle may be cited as the ‘Violence Against Women
Act Court Training and Improvements Act of 2005’.
‘‘SEC. 41002. PURPOSE.
‘‘The purpose of this subtitle is to enable the Attorney General,
though the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women,
to award grants to improve court responses to adult and youth
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
to be used for—
‘‘(1) improved internal civil and criminal court functions,
responses, practices, and procedures;
‘‘(2) education for court-based and court-related personnel
on issues relating to victims’ needs, including safety, security,
privacy, confidentiality, and economic independence, as well
as information about perpetrator behavior and best practices
for holding perpetrators accountable;

If you are a victim or the loved one of a victim, I urge you to read the law. Victims are being refused basic services by a court system that if overburdened. A victim of a rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence stalking, murder, removal of parental rights, must be armed with the knowledge of their rights when seeking assistance in these cases. It is unfortunate but a victim must demand their basic rights under the law.
As an example, Kathleen Savio, Drew Peterson's third wife, demanded justice. She wrote letters to the Will County State's Attorney's Office regarding her dangerous and life threatning situation. She contacted police. Her letters and pleas fell on deaf ears. After the death of Kathleen Savio, the family continued to demand answers. The door of the legal system was slammed in their face. It would take Stacy Peterson to vanish before relatives of Kathleen's such as [Kathleen's sister] who shared documents with Fox News and Greta that an outside medial exaimner was hired to determine the cause of death.

It was the Illinois State Police and the Savio's family, not the Will County State's Attorney who suspected her death was a homicide. And yet during this election year the office of the Will County State's Attorney is talking credit for something they themselves, ignored.

This is not an invitation to a cocktail party, these are people's lives.

5 comments:

Delilah said...

There is a movement across the land to radically change the VAWA by several men's rights organizations. Some of their thoughts are ridiculous and are turning into action against any of the gains that VAWA has seen over the years.

Sites like the following: http://www.jugsforjustice.org/wordpress/ which believe it or not, was started by a woman! Teri Stoddard has made it her business to support these men by authoring several sites pertaining to father's rights, but Jugs for Justice is, in my opinion, totally inappropriate.

I have no problem with bare breasts, and I have no problem with fathers seeking rights, but when you are sexually exploiting women on the same site that includes pictures of little girls, it just seems inappropriate and in bad taste.

There is a national MRA movement, the courts and officials are predominantly men, so where does that leave the VAWA?

Women need to sit up and take notice of this because, if not, we will be right back to square one and beyond if we don't

Anonymous said...

Also is crazy that crime vicitms don't know their rights under the law and are too afraid to speak up.

Anonymous said...

A court order is rarely enforced in cook county or dupage unless you are seriously injured or its an election year.

Anonymous said...

Crimes in homes are not crimes until the national media reports or get ahold of a case themn its too late. These are crimes & police and attorneys don't do a good job enforcing the law.

Delilah said...

This is a response I received from someone who saw this entry. I bring it here to show that it is a global epidemic.......

I have the utmost sympathy for women trapped in relationships with violent men. My sister's husband stalked her for six months when she left him. In that time he attempted to kill her three times, threw acid at her face (she managed to duck behind a door and so was spared) and generally brought down a reign of terror. He smashed her car, slashed her car tyres several times, destroyed her home and property and would phone me or my parents virtually every day telling us he was going to kill her. He even tried to kill me. I have never gotten over those six months of terror. And, to crown it all, she still lives with him! Why? Because she is terrified of what he would do if she tried to leave again. This monster has virtually destroyed our family. As for the police and justice is concerned .... well, this is Africa, the continent where men are gods in their own eyes and rulers of all they survey. Violence against women and children is endemic to African society it seems and crosses all class and racial lines

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