Americans Who Tell the Truth

Domestic Justice 

2-4 million women of all races and classes are battered each year in the United States.* Physical, sexual, and psychological violence against women is at the core of a violent society.  Isn t it time we do something about that?

American Bar Association

Writing prompts page/ Discussion questions page Dom Violence:

What is the history of Domestic Violence? How did it become illegal in our country? What about the historical relationship to crimes of rape and in general assignment.

What are the laws that exist regarding domestic violence and spouse abuse?

What agencies deal directly with this issue in your community? Be sure to    include how your police department works with this issue in your community.

What are the laws about what constitutes neglect and abuse of children? What processes should an individual follow if they know someone who is being abused or they are abused themselves? What government and non-government agencies in your community deal directly with domestic violence as it relates to children? Again, be sure to look at how your police department deals with this issue.

What is the reasons those who are abused hide it, do not report it or do not prosecute the abusers?

Describe a home that is experiencing domestic violence and one that is not. How are they different and how are they the same?

Write a list of questions you have about domestic violence. What are the things about this condition of life you do not understand.

Write a first person account of a victim of domestic violence; a first person account of a child living with domestic violence; a perpetrator of domestic violence.

Write a paper that outlines the problems of domestic violence in your community, the laws and practices that are in place and social service agencies designed to help families in these circumstances. Be sure to include conversation and interviews with the local police department and programs designed to help the abuser also.

Make a list of stereotypes and misperceptions people have about abuse victims and abusers. How would those influence police investigators, social workers and legal counsel involved in these cases? 

Films:

http://www.cambridgedocumentaryfilms.org

Defending our Lives:

The women in the documentary are members of 'Battered Women Fighting Back!' a grass-roots organization dedicated to exposing domestic violence as a critical human rights violation threatening the majority of the population: women and children. 'Battered Women Fighting Back!' began as a prison support group for battered women who had killed their abusers, and with the support of human rights activist, Stacey Kabat, developed into a community-based task force of over 100 volunteers. (Each of these women tells her own horrific tale of beatings, rape and torture at the hands of her husband or boyfriend. They talk of being stalked, harassed and threatened with death, particularly after attempting to leave their abusive partners. They all testify to the failure of the criminal justice system to protect victims of domestic violence - from unenforced restraining orders, to reluctant law enforcement officials, to the courts' refusal to accept the special nature of their defense. And each woman's frightening account of the cycle of violence resonates with the stories of battered women everywhere.  (These women were forced to defend their lives, and this documentary captures the cruel irony of putting them behind bars once they have finally escaped their abusers. They have chosen to share their stories, hoping to inspire creative strategies for ending this violence.  (Defending Our Lives aims to educate people about domestic violence and to spur legislative and judicial reform. It is appropriate for people working on any aspect of this issue, including general education, legal reform, police training, battered women advocacy, counseling, prosecution and defense, human rights activism and community education.

http://www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/herstory/herstory.html

A comprehensive history / timeline of domestic violence in terms of laws but also related issues, the cultural response to it and in general, a way of looking at the issue over the course of humanity.

For thought, discussion, writing, artistic response &..

A Language Older than Words

 (Derrick Jensen writes eloquently about the way the abuse he experienced in his own home allowed him to come to understand the nature of social justice through a similar lens.  He is able to help us understand how the denial we learn in dysfunctional homes is the same process we use to continue turning away from the realities of all the areas of social injustice. This is an especially significant realization for us to grapple with and make our peace. 

I.  My own introduction to silencing- and this is similarly true for a great percentage of children, as well within many families- came at the hands of my father, who beat my mother, my brothers, and my sisters &. 

The staunch refusal to hear the voices of those we exploit is crucial to our domination of them. 

Jensen begins with the role of truth and silencing, a very basic component to the perpetuation of social injustices. This can  provide a provocative avenue of conversation for young people.

Where are they silenced? What truths do they withhold and why? 

Who is silenced in homes that are violent?  What can we do about that? 

What ways are there for  silenced  victims to come forward? Why are victims of domestic violence ashamed , afraid and embarrassed to do so?

What if you find out someone you know is living with domestic violence? 

Did you know that teachers and other professionals are obligated by law NOT to be silent? Why is that and what are its implications?

II.  The vagueness with which I recollect these formative images is the point here, because the worst thing my father did went beyond the hitting and raping was the denial that any of it ever occurred. Not only were bodies broken, but broken also was the bedrock connection between memory and experience &. 

How does the breakage between our memory and our experience impact us for the rest of our lives if it goes untreated? 

Do you see evidence of this in your peers, teachers and others in your life? Is there evidence of untreated pain and a disconnect between what the person experiences and what they remember? Do you have friends that overlook or tolerate abusive behavior in their relationships? What is that about? Is there anything you can do about it?

What is the role of counseling and support organizations given the profound and basic nature of the damage done to those who live with domestic violence? 

III. We became a family of amnesiacs. There s  no place in the mind to sufficiently contain these experiences, and as there was effectively no way out, it would have served no purpose for us to consciously remember the atrocities. 

Here, Jensen is writing about his own upbringing, but students can use this quote to explore how this quote could apply to nearly any and all circumstances where the violence of social injustice lives.

IV.  His denial made sense, not only because an admission of violence would have harmed his image as a socially respected, wealthy  , and deeply religious attorney, but more simply because the man who would beat his children could not speak honestly about it and continue to do it. 

Several important features of violence in human lives are identified here . Again, in the context of violence at home, Jensen allows us to see into the broader meaning of what is inherent in all experiences of this nature. First, he lets us know that the most important piece of denial is to maintain status. The status to be maintained, most nearly always, is connected to wealth and power, which are interchangeable in most circumstances of social injustice. 

Second, Jensen says that if his father had to tell the truth publicly about his actions , or even in the privacy of his own home, he could not continue to behave violently.  ( (

Is it true that when those that are violent, be it in the home, to the environment, to a group and so on & it is true that they cannot continue to do it if they admit to doing it?  

What is the role of accountability and deniability in this realm? (

Suggestion: Create two teams and debate this issue and question. It is a very significant one for our times. 

Last, Mr. Jensen s  family history does not fit the stereotype many people hold about domestic violence. 

In what ways is his story a reminder of the fact that domestic violence impacts all people, all genders, income levels and ethnic/religious backgrounds?