System retraumatises victims of abuse in England and Wales and puts children’s safety at risk, report says. The family courts are putting the safety of children at risk by failing to deal effectively with domestic abuse, a report says. The domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, calls in the report for urgent reforms to a family justice system that she says … [Read more...]
Dr. Jennifer Kagan-Viater Discusses the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence and Domestic Abuse on Parenting: Keira’s Law
In this episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, Lianne Castelino speaks to Dr. Jennifer Kagan-Viater, palliative care physician and mother, as well as Philip Viater, family law lawyer and father, about the impact of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence on parenting. “…it has been very difficult. You know, I think what some people may not realize is that for others watching our story, … [Read more...]
California Judges Able to Renew Domestic Violence Protection Orders Under New Law
In November 2021, a California judge determined the woman before him had demonstrated a reasonable case of fear of continued physical abuse and threats to her life with a firearm. However, the judge wasn’t sure if state law actually gave him the authority to renew her domestic violence restraining order. California’s Domestic Violence Prevention Act allowed for protection orders to be renewed … [Read more...]
‘Keira’s Law’ to Expand Judicial Education on Domestic Violence
(Ontario, CANADA) Two years after the death of her daughter, protective mother Jennifer Kagan-Viater discusses the preventable death of her daughter, 4-year-old Keira Kagan, and how this tragedy reflects on Ontario's family justice system. Keira's Law would make it mandatory for judges to be trained in domestic violence. "The rights of the abusive parent in this instance trumped Keira's … [Read more...]
Domestic Violence Survivors Urge More Judicial Training in New Hampshire
Advocates for domestic violence victims and people who feel they were not treated fairly by family court judges in New Hampshire called Friday on a newly created task force to provide more training for the judiciary. The Task Force on Domestic Violence Cases in the New Hampshire Judicial System heard stories about people in family court cases who felt victimized through rulings, rather than … [Read more...]