Guardian investigation shows how women are often cross-examined by violent ex-partners in secretive civil court hearings Violent and abusive men are being allowed to confront and cross-examine their former partners in secretive court hearings that fail to protect women who are victims of abuse, a Guardian investigation has found. Mothers involved in family court hearings have given graphic … [Read more...]

Three women describe how they are being forced to confront violent and abusive partners despite their histories ‘I got out of a violent relationship but the court threw me back into harm’s way’ Sarah was cross-examined in a family court for more than two hours by a man who was the subject of a restraining order because of his violence towards her. Michael had attacked her while she was … [Read more...]

SACRAMENTO — A state judicial commission on Monday declined to punish Aaron Persky, the Santa Clara County Superior Court judge who was widely criticized for the six-month jail sentence he imposed on a former Stanford University student accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The state Commission on Judicial Performance, in a rare 12-page explanation of its decision to close its … [Read more...]

A report from the investigative news organization 100Reporters throws light on complaints of a parent sexually or physically abusing a child being routinely rejected at family courts around the country. Content note: This article contains a graphic description of child sexual assault. Karen Gill is undergoing a long, arduous battle to protect her son after a Tennessee court six years ago … [Read more...]

Government urged to protect long-term funding for domestic abuse services as study reveals scale of deadly male violence More than 900 women were killed by men in England and Wales over a six-year period, most by their current or former partners, according to the first detailed analysis of deadly male violence against women in those countries. The Femicide Census, which tracks and analyses … [Read more...]