Rachel Meyrick’s documentary film What Doesn’t Kill Me will make its World Premiere at The Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles October 7th. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and The Awareness Film Festival is a perfect fit for the film which raises much-needed awareness of domestic violence and an issue many have never heard of: court licensed abuse.
Court licensed abuse refers to the phenomenon of an estimated 58,000 children being placed in the custody of abusers by courts annually in the United States. Abused women are often told, “You have to leave him for the sake of yourself and your children.” A victim might agonize over the decision, on the tipping point between fear and desperation, and then find the courage to make the often-dramatic flight from her abuser to a safe place. A common expectation of what happens next is of a heroic, rosy ending where the abuser faces justice and the victim is free. Unfortunately, this outcome is often fiction, with many victims entering a new stage of the nightmare: custody court. [Read Full Article]
