In 2005, South Carolina ranked seventh in the United States for the rate of women killed by men.

--43 women were killed by men.

--22 victims were black, and 21 victims were white.

--38 knew their suspected killers.

--30 were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives or girlfriends of the offenders.

--21 women were shot to death; 17 of those were killed with handguns.

--Nine women were slain with knives.

--Five women were killed by bodily force.

--One woman was killed with a blunt object.

'06 slayings spotlight S.C. domestic violence

By Jill Coley (Contact)

The Post and Courier

With the first anniversary of his family's slaying approaching, Christan Rainey plans to spend some quiet time alone in his Baton Rouge, La., apartment.

On Sept. 30, 2006, his immediate family was gunned down in a North Charleston mobile home. In a sweeping act of violence, Rainey lost his mother, Detra Rainey, and four siblings.

Michael Anthony Simmons, Detra Rainey's husband of one year, awaits trial, charged with five counts of murder.

An overwhelming majority of women slain by men in South Carolina know their killers, according to the latest report from the Violence Policy Center. The

Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group analyzed 2005 homicide figures and found that all but five of the 43 women slain in South Carolina knew their killers. Thirty were wives, ex-wives or girlfriends of the assailants.

Nationally, black women were killed at a rate nearly three times higher than white women in 2005, according to the study. In South Carolina, 22 of the women killed by men were black, and 21 were white.

Nearly a year has passed since Christan Rainey received the terrible news, and he still struggles to make sense of it.

"You can look at everything from a religious aspect — that everything happened for a reason — but you're still forced to live with it," Rainey said.

"I wish I could have stayed home. Things would have been different," he said. "Michael never tried to disrespect my mom around me. I would not tolerate that."

The state moved down to No. 7 in the U.S. for its rate of women killed by men in 2005, with 1.97 deaths per 100,000 people. South Carolina ranked sixth for three years after it held the ignominious first place spot in 2001.

Vicki Bourus, executive director of the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said, "We're praying this downward trend continues. It's certainly hopeful."

Bourus attributes the drop to a series of policy and legislative changes. A 2005 criminal domestic violence bill increased fines and sentences. Second offenses moved from the magistrate level to general sessions court, and third offenses became felonies with a minimum one-year sentence, up from a misdemeanor charge and minimum 90-day sentence.

Domestic violence courts are opening up across the state. These courts, which are led by judges more educated in domestic violence issues, lead to fewer dropped cases, better referrals to shelters and treatment for the batterers, Bourus said.

Also, state Attorney General Henry McMaster worked with the General Assembly to fund criminal domestic violence prosecutors. As this force takes shape in 2007, a team of established pro bono attorneys are helping prosecute cases at the first-offense magistrate level.

"Ranking No. 7 in the nation in something so hideous, as domestic violence is a terrible shame for South Carolina," said Mark Plowden, spokesman for McMaster.

Criminal domestic violence is the worst criminal problem facing the state, Plowden said. "Moving down a spot from No. 6 is encouraging, but more a glaring reminder that much, much more work must be done in this state," he said.

McMaster is expected to release 2006 figures on male and female victims killed by domestic violence at the 10th annual Silent Witness ceremony Oct. 1 in Columbia. Those numbers will be used by the Violence Policy Center for its next study.

Rainey, who is majoring in computer science at Southern University, works 40 hours a week at a Wal-Mart tire and lube service department to pay for his education.

"I wanted to come home, but I'm in school, and it's hard to come home," he said by phone from Baton Rouge.

When people gather at the steps of the Statehouse in Columbia to honor those killed by domestic violence last year, Rainey will hold a lone vigil in Louisiana.

With his compass gone, he doesn't know where home is. "I don't know where I'm happier at. I love being in Charleston ... but it's hard being there because you know something's missing."

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.

GREENVILLE, S.C. --

Month-Old Baby's Skull Fractured; Father Arrested

Father Hit Baby, Fractured His Skull, Deputies Say

 Deputies arrested the father of a 1-month-old baby whose skull was found to be fractured.
Deputies said the investigation started after the baby's parents took him to the hospital. They told doctors that their child was just not acting normally.
"The mother is the one that noticed something wasn't right," said Master Deputy Michael Hildebrand. "She called her parents and that's how the child ended up in the hospital."
Doctors said when the baby boy arrived at the hospital last Tuesday, he had several fractures in his skull. Doctors told deputies the injuries appeared to be the result of child abuse.

Investigators then started asking the baby's parents questions.
"The father came down here for an interview," Hildebrand said. "As we were talking to him he admitted to hitting the child in the head, which we believed caused some of the fractures."
Deputies said 26-year-old William Dickson admitted he hit the baby on Jan. 12. They said the baby wasn't taken to a doctor until five days later.
The baby is now hooked up to a ventilator, but is expected to recover.
Dickson was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.

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CHESTER, South Carolina (AP) -- South Carolina man held his wife and two sons captive for nearly four years, a in a house infested with maggots and human waste, authorities said.

The boys slept on a bare mattress.  Their mother was kept in a drug-induced stupor. Police found maggots in the refrigerator. Human waste and used toilet paper littered the bathroom floor, and the house smelled like a dead animal, according to police photographs and authorities who visited the home after Dove was arrested this week.

"There was chaos everywhere," Chester County Sheriff's Detective Scott Thompson said Thursday. "I don't think we'll ever really determine how it happened -- how you get to live like that. I think he got so wrapped up in drugs and wanting to control everything, nothing else mattered."

The young boys, ages 4 and 8, did not go to school. and wererarely were allowed out of the house. A video camera monitored their room and the doors to the home.

Dove, 45, fed his wife, Tamara, with prescription painkillers, cocaine and crack, and forbade her to go outside, police said. Thompson said he did not expect the 37-year-old mother would be lucid enough to be interviewed for weeks.

"People don't understand why she just doesn't leave," Thompson said. "But with a little intimidation and a lot of drug use, this is what they grew to know as normal life."

Dove was charged with two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal conspiracy, operating a gambling establishment and two counts of child neglect. He remained in jail Thursday without bail. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.

But Dove's mother said that her son held no one hostage and that his wife was the root of the couple's drug addiction.

"She's driven my son crazy," Helaine Young said in an interview at her home.

Young said she threw up when she visited the home with police, her first visit since Christmas 2005, when she said she left after being threatened by her daughter-in-law.

Young said her son was once a wealthy owner of several convenience stores, paying for anything his wife requested, including baby sitters and house cleaners. Her son installed the cameras for the family's security when he renovated the home in a rural town near the North Carolina line, she said. The pair met about 13 years ago, Young said.

Young, who has taken care of the couple's 12-year-old son since he was an infant, said she has asked the Department of Social Services repeatedly over the last six years to investigate.

"We have had reports in the past, and the nature of the reports are currently under review," agency spokeswoman Marilyn Matheus said. "It's too early to tell what exactly happened when."

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Rest in Peace

Sandra and Jesse

York County Detectives Rule Deaths Of Mother, Son A Murder-Suicide

YORK COUNTY, S.C. -- Detectives say a York County woman killed her child before shooting herself in a house on Saluda Road on Thursday evening.

The woman's boyfriend and the boy's father, Joe Helms, came home from work and found the two dead on the kitchen floor at the home near Autumnwood Drive, right at the York and Chester County line. He called 911 around 6:45 p.m.

Detectives with the York County Sheriff's Department said the woman, 46-year-old Sandra Sue Glover, shot 7-year-old Jesse Helms in the back and in the head before turning the revolver on herself. The weapon was still in her hand when deputies arrived.

Glover had been convicted of domestic violence against her boyfriend earlier in the week. The judge gave her a suspended sentence but said she had to agree to alcohol counseling and had to take a course for batter

ers. The couple was also ordered to stay apart.

York County Sheriff's Lieutenant Tim Hager said officials are trying to put together a timeline of the incident. Glover picked her son up from Oakdale Elementary School, which she was allowed to do, and the shootings occurred sometime after 4 p.m., Hager said.

Investigators would not say whether Glover left a note. Autopsies are being conducted on both bodies.

Officers say they're having a hard time with the investigation because many of them have young children themselves.

"Everybody on scene from the uniform guys up to the captain has kids, so we had a job to do and we did it, but now the reality is sinking in a little bit, and it's a bit tough," Hager said.

Neighbors and the boy's classmates are also trying to make sense of the tragedy. Oakdale Elementary School's flag was flown at half-staff in honor of Jesse Helms, who others described as happy and gentle. They said he loved school.

Principal Neil McVann said he feels a deep hurt for Jesse's teacher, who had to break the news to her class of second-graders that one of their own is gone.

"She is a true professional and really has a heart for the kids, and I think she'll do a lot of crying this weekend," he said.

McVann said Glover always picked her son up, and he never thought anything was wrong. The incident has left him flabbergasted.

posted 11:19 am Mon June 16, 2008 - South Carolina

Colin Nathaniel Custer was found with his father, Robert William Custer II, 45, in Virginia.  Authorities cancelled the amber alert around 6:00 p.m.

The alert was issued in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia after Lexington County authorities found the boy's mother locked in a gas station bathroom Monday morning. She told them the child's father abducted them Sunday after a court-ordered visitation.

Robert Custer has a history of violence with women.  Renee Pennell-Rashell says Custer placed a cloth over her mouth and nose and she lost consciousness.

There is no word on charges in this case.

Judges are banning terms such as 'rape' and 'victim' as prejudicial to defendants????

LAW.COM

Call it the age of the Loaded Word.
A steadily increasing number of courts across the United States are prohibiting witnesses and victims from uttering certain words in front of a jury, banning everything from the words "rape" to "victim" to "crime scene."
Prosecutors and victims' rights advocates nationwide claim the courts are going too far in trying to cleanse witness testimony, all to protect a defendant's right to a fair trial. Concerns and fears over language restrictions have been percolating ever since judges in Nebraska and Missouri last year banned the word "rape" during rape trials.

INSULTING WITNESSES?
Marquis, who is the district attorney in Clatsop County, Ore., said courts telling witnesses and victims how to tell their story insults them, as well as the intelligence of jurors.
"You have a woman who's been raped and she has to say that she had sexual intercourse with the man, rather than calling him her attacker?" Marquis said. "I think this is going 50 years back in our legal evolution."
Not quite, counter criminal defense lawyers, who argue that certain words like "victim" and "rape" and "murder" conflict with the presumption of innocence, and therefore, should be kept out of trial.

RIGHT TO TELL A STORY
Wendy J. Murphy of the New England School of Law, who is representing a Nebraska rape victim opposing the judge's barring of the word "rape," said the major battle facing prosecutors and victims now is fighting judges' censorship orders.

MORE>>>>

By Winnie Williams
May 8, 2008 - 12:00 a.m. EST

Special to the Daily Journal/Messenger

Winnie Williams

Criminal domestic violence is the number one crime problem in South Carolina, according to the Attorney General’s report in 2006. He also reports that a woman is battered 12 to 15 times before she reports the abuse to law officials to file a report. According to the SC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse, Oconee County ranks 36th out of 45 counties in incidents of domestic violence with 429 abuses reported, Pickens County ranks 42nd with 382 abuses, and Anderson County ranks 14th with 1480 abuses reported. These figures represent an approximate number of women violated by a partner each year in South Carolina.

The above incidence rates should be a wake-up call for immediate action to combat this criminal dilemma in our community. Not only do we have obligations to rescue women from violence, but also the eight million plus children each year who are at risk from witnessing domestic violence in their homes. A boy who witnesses his father’s domestic violence is 10 times more likely to engage in domestic violence than a boy from a nonviolent home (SCCADVAS). A worthy goal would be to have a violence-free generation.

How can a community address this most prevalent crime? It will "take a village” working together to significantly impact this mammoth problem, but it can happen by one person or organization at a time daring to take the initiative to become an advocate for battered victims.

The following are suggestions for communities who desire to address the domestic violence issue:

— Alert the public.

— Ensure that our county, school and libraries have books related DV.

— Help our communities become aware of the availability of programs.

— Make people aware of Hotlines and Safe Homes.

— Become aware of laws for DV.

— Encourage law enforcement officers to be aggressive.

— Encourage schools to provide education resources for teens.

Additional research needs to be done to determine, for example, how youth violence is linked to aggression at home. A study by Dr. Kurt Fischer, of Harvard/Brandeis University found that “Violence by youngsters 7-13 is more related to the amount of aggression children witness in their parents and is a powerful predictor of how violent children will become.” These children learn to use violent behavior as a solution to their problems. Stopping domestic violence can come through political will and determination. Contacting your legislators to develop and enforce strong laws regarding domestic violence would be a muscular deterrent to violence.

There are multiple means of tackling this horrible crime, and many resources are available that have not been tapped. Dollars do help in providing a safe haven for women and children, but the greatest challenge is the prevention of the abuse in the first place. Prevention is the key to solving this age-old problem that tends to be disregarded and often unnoticed by communities.

MORE>>>>

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General: The uniform statewide Family Court system was established by statute in 1976. The Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction over all matters involving domestic or family relationships. Pursuant to this provision, the Family Court is the sole forum for the hearing of all cases concerning marriage, divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation rights, termination of parental rights, adoption, support, alimony, division of marital property, and change of name. The court also generally has exclusive jurisdiction over minors under the age of seventeen alleged to have violated any state law or municipal ordinance. However, most traffic, fish, and game law violations are still triable in the magistrate or municipal courts. Serious criminal charges may be transferred to the Circuit Court.

At least two family court judges are elected for staggered six year terms to each of the sixteen judicial circuits, and rotate primarily from county to county within their resident circuits. Occasionally they are assigned to other circuits based upon caseload requirements as directed by the Chief Justice.

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Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 08:08 PM Updated: 02:50 PM

By Jamie Rogers

E-mail

A Timmonsville man is charged with murder after the mother of his children died from a domestic assault that happened a week ago, Florence County Sheriff’s Capt Todd Tucker said.
Lori McFadden, 42, died Wednesday afternoon at a local hospital during surgery as a result of injuries she suffered during a domestic assault, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said.
The autopsy results show McFadden died from a strike to the abdomen and chest area, Matthews said.  Her death has been ruled a homicedy by the coroner's office.
Cleveland Burgess, 41, of 1130 W. Smith St. was arrested Tuesday and is charged with murder, two counts of criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, Florence County Detention Center booking reports show. 
One of the charges stems from an incident that happened three weeks ago; the other, from an incident that happened April 23, Tucker said.
Deputies say that on April 23, the suspect assaulted McFadden, who was found unresponsive a day later by family members, Tucker said.
Investigators are reviewing  an autopsy report and expect to upgrade one of the charges Burgess faces to murder very soon, Tucker said. 
Based on information from the pathologist and doctors, Matthews said, he is convinced McFadden died as a result of being struck by her boyfriend.
“At this point, I am working a homicide,” Matthews said.
Burgess remains in custody at the jail in Effingham.

He rules prosecution's evidence insufficient to continue trial

By Amy Clarke • PICKENS COUNTY NEWS • April 29, 2008

A Pickens County murder trial came to a dramatic end last week as the judge dismissed the jury and issued a directed verdict in favor of the man who was charged with killing his wife, 30-year-old Keri Gillespie Gibson.

Circuit Judge Larry Patterson said on April 23 that the state's evidence, which he said was primarily circumstantial, was insufficient to continue the case.

Gunshot-residue evidence from the Jan. 21, 2007, shooting was inconclusive, Patterson said, and he termed the state's theory of a staged suicide improbable.

After the verdict, defense attorney Scott Robinson, who said in his motion that the state's case was based on "suspicion" and "innuendo," said he was pleased with the judge's decision.

MORE HERE!!

ORANGEBURG -- A man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing an Orangeburg County woman and setting the home they shared on fire.

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports that 29-year-old Oscar Beecher McDowell was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to killing 31-year-old Ruby Rawls.

McDowell also was sentenced to 25 years for arson.

Rawls’ mutilated body was found in her burned Cordova home in February 2007. Authorities said her hands and legs had been cut, and her genitals had been mutilated. She had also been shot a dozen times.

Prosecutor David Pascoe called the crime one of the most gruesome he had ever seen.

GreenvilleOnline.com | The Greenville News

But hiding from stalkers may become more difficult under a federal law called the Real ID Act that's scheduled to take effect on May 11.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new regulations mandate specific standards for what personal information states must print on the face of Real ID drivers licenses and encode on their machine-readable zones. Although there's some consideration for people who qualify for special confidentiality treatment, critics argue the protections don't go far enough.

Homeland Security hasn't yet stipulated what information must be exchanged among the state-to-state databases, saying only that it will be "limited," nor has it specified exactly how the database linking will work, leaving lingering worries among privacy and victim advocates.

All it would take is a determined, persuasive stalker--many have tricks, like saying an ex-spouse is suicidal or otherwise in need of help--and a gullible or corrupt DMV employee, and a victim's identity could be divulged, Southworth said.

"Given that there are less than six degrees of separation between most abusers and a friend or relative who works for the DMV, we are concerned about victims' location information housed in state databases that could be searched nationally," Southworth said. "Prior to national search ability, a victim could move to a different state and increase her safety and privacy, but national search functionality could place countless victims at risk."

"We still have this problem of the backbone of this system, which is that we're creating this nationwide system of databases, all interlinked," said Guilherme Roschke, an Electronic Privacy Information Center fellow who focuses on domestic violence privacy issues. "A breach in one is a breach in all of them."

MORE:

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), now has online IM services that victims can use instead of calling in. This link is to the FAQ section which has a link to the actual Online Hotline at the top of the page...

National Sexual Assault Online Hotline

Current state law represents an egregious affront to women

South Carolina has a serious flaw in its criminal domestic violence law. Hopefully, the General Assembly is on the path to fixing it.

Currently in the Palmetto State, a criminal domestic violence conviction may be treated as a first offense at sentencing even if the convicted party has been found guilty of prior offenses outside the state. House Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, introduced a bill in February to change that and put those previous convictions into play. Last Tuesday, the bill cleared the House Judiciary Committee and headed for the House floor.

But it didn't make it out of committee before a tweak was made to the bill's language - a seemingly minor change but one that could have significantly altered the bill's impact.

The new language opened the door for possible judicial hair-splitting over whether these prior acts may be considered at sentencing. It was an uncalled-for obstacle, particularly in this state. Keep in mind that South Carolina ranks seventh nationally in the rate of women killed by men. And keep in mind that criminal domestic violence is often habitual behavior.

Taking into account past out-of-state convictions is significant, as the penalties for repeat offenders are higher. An abuser doesn't deserve a clean slate here simply because his previous convictions occurred in another state. And he shouldn't be able to argue that a past conviction is similar but perhaps slightly lacks "the same elements" of the latest crime.

Our current CDV law represents an egregious miscarriage of justice for women, and this legislation is vital in a state with such a horrendous domestic violence track record. The Senate should follow the House's lead and take quick action to pass the bill.

MORE: 

Three years ago, the General Assembly rightly toughened criminal domestic violence penalties for repeat offenders. But our state law still confines the repeat-offender classification to those who committed the crimes in South Carolina. The S.C. House correctly passed legislation recently to expand that status to those who committed criminal domestic violence in other states. The S.C. Senate should follow suit. House Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, the bill's primary sponsor, made a common-sense case for addressing "a clear inconsistency when it comes to CDV."  Lynn Hawkins, executive director of the SAFE Homes/Rape Crisis Coalition, hailed the bill that would end the out-of-state loophole, telling the News: " The more we allow the situation to progress in terms of multiple offenses, then the higher the risk of a homicide." Our state consistently places among the nation's worst in per-capita domestic- violence rankings.

More: Charleston, SC Latest Editorial News: End domestic-violence 'free pass'

October 17, 2007 - Charleston, SC

Attorney General Henry McMaster says domestic violence is the number one crime problem in South Carolina.

“More than 36,000 victims annually report a domestic violence incident to law enforcement agencies around the state,” As stated on the Attorney General’s Website.

“Over the past eight years, an average of 38 women have been killed each year by their intimate partner.” 

South Carolina ranks seventh nationwide for domestic violence. 

Rebecca Williams, Communications Coordinator for The South Carolina Coalition against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, or The Coalition, says there are reasons South Carolina ranks high for domestic violence.

“First of all, the issues of control and power, and the patriarchal system are historically very southern as far as women’s place,” Williams said.

“Control issues don’t stop just because the relationship ends,” Williams said.

Domestic Violence at the Local Level .....  more:
Domestic Violence Out Of Control In SC?|ABC News 4

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Target:  Congress in all States    Sponsored by:   DefendTheChildren.org

LETTER TO CONGRESS:

Dear Congress,

In Homes Today Across America Exists A Terror As      Evil As The Terror We Faced on 9-11. We are calling for help, please answer!

September 11th is a date which Americans and most of the world solemnly remember. The fear, the tears and the pain of terrorism hit our hearts and souls as we watched the Twin Towers collapse, the Pentagon torn into, and the Pennsylvania flight 93 crash. We prayed, we cried and we were in disbelief.

Disbelief, yes, but soon reality sank in. The USA was attacked. Our great Nation possessed new fear. We were face to face with terrorism.  Every news station flashed the grisly scenes. Good and innocent people were killed. We as a nation were primarliy supportive when our President said we would be fighting a war against terrorism. We were proud and we united. We fought and are fighting.

We won some battles and sadly lost some. Still, the day September 11th, which so united Americans, is remembered. It will continue to be remembered. 

Today, in homes  across America lies an evil as bad or even worse than the evil we faced on 9/11. It is particularly evil because the victims, like those of 9/11, can do nothing to save themselves. The victims are helpless, they are silenced and their terror goes on. It does not stop. The very people entrusted to care for them are betraying them.

These victims are the children of abuse.  They are abused  in their own country, their own neighborhoods, their own homes.

Children are starved, beaten and molested every day in this country. We have children who are tortured, exploited and raped in what should be their safe place, their homes.

Child Abuse is TERRORISM.

Yes, we do have some systems in place to protect them, but they are rarely working. It is not just the children whose abuse goes overlooked and unreported that the system is not protecting. There are many cases where child abuse has been reported, but sadly the child protection agencies and/or the courts failed to protect the children.  As a result, further abuse and sometimes murder has happened.

There are other cases where parentally abused children have been placed with state assigned foster families, who also abused the children. In these cases the system failed by not following through with appropriate background checks, and frequent visits to the foster homes.

And equally devastating are the many more cases in which  parents are divorced or separated, and children disclose abuse by one parent to their other parent. When a protective parent follows the law and reports the abuse, they are often times put in very devastating situations. Many times the protective parent cannot protect the child,  law enforcement or the child protection agency may simply dismiss the reports without properly investigating, and  vilify the protective parent  for reporting their ex-spouse.  Too often a protective parents lose part if not all custodial rights and visitation with their children. In many cases the abusive parent has or is granted unsupervised custodial time with the child. This is an open invitation for abuse to continue.  The children's voices and the protective parents' voices are silenced by a court system that doesn't want to face the reality that the home can be the most dangerous place for many Americans. This is particularly seen in cases of parental sexual abuse.

In America, child incest victims are the only victims of sex crimes that are forced by court order to be with their molester. In some cases their molesters are granted full unsupervised custody. There are cases of state child protective agencies' investigation found the sexual  abuse reports to be truthful   but judges overruled them and granted the custody to the perpetrator.

Let us fight this war of terrorism in the homes. We might lose some battles but we will win the war. We must, the stakes are too high. We will be part of the solution.

To not be part of the solution is to be part of the problem.
Are you ready to be a true hero? A hero doing what is right for the right reasons.   A hero for the children with no voices, no  power and no money. 
We challenged and becken you to stand up for the weakest of society, the most needy, the children.  The children whose only defender is too often denied the very right to protect the child.  We are speaking about children abused everyday by their caregivers. 
Please we need to work together to protect the children.  Won't you be the hero the child so desperately need.  Please make laws to give parents the right to protect their children and to remove children from abusive home until the homes are safe for the children.  This is a national epidemics.  2000 a year are killed by their caregivers and so many more are missing or permanantly injured and many are sexually abused.  Please we need help as laws will not change until Congress admits a bill in to Congress and it is made into law.  Help us.   a chance.

PETITION OVERVIEW:

We the undersigned
Demand a child's voice be heard
Demand that a child's best interest and safety takes precedence over parental rights.
Demand an end to vilification and destroying of Protective Parents, (good non abusive parents who defend the child)..
Demand parents be allowed to protect their children
Demand a parent cannot lose custody for reporting child abuse
Demand no parent be forced to send that child to be with an abusive person.
Protect Protective Parents and their abused children

Child abuse is rampant around the world including in all 50 states.

Years ago a Richard Gardner, a psychologist who claims pedophilia is good and it is when people object to it that it hurts the children but not the pedophilia itself, began a theory called Parental Alienation Syndrome known commonly as PAS.. It has never been recognized by the American Psychiatric Society and several states refuse it to be used. but it is and has been used by many alleged perpetrators being charged with child abuse and by their defense attorneys.

Often when a parent is accused of abuse, that accused parent files for sole custody claiming that it is a custody dispute. PAS and that the child is being destroyed. These are two but not all the smokescreens abuser use to sift the emphasis away from their abusive actions. It is common today for abusive parents to change calling PAS simply parental alienation but it is the same theory.

The situation than becomes a so called battle of he said-she said. This takes the emphasis off the child abuse and shifts the focus, vilifying the protective parent.

Fact is way too often children are being forced to not only see their abusers but to live with them in unsupervised environment.

The protective parent is vilified and often loses partial and at times full custody and is ridiculed in court. There see many cases where the protective parent is destroyed.

Even in cases where the state's own Child Protection does a thorough job and investigates, finding abuse, the abuser is often given the child as the judge will dismiss the case.

Imagine being sexually molested at 3, you report it, but you are forced to have your arms torn from your good parent's leg as you are dragged screaming and sobbing not to go to your abuser. That is what is happening today in America.

Please sign my petition to end children being forced to be with their abusers, sign to end a protective parent from having to pay ten of thousands of dollar to protect the child and to lose the child, please sign for judges to not be allowed to tell a parent, GET OVER IT< THE CHILD IS SAFE ENOUGH<" or GET HER OUT OF MY COURTROOM or

I AM MAKING IT SO YOU CAN NEVER TAKE ANY CHILD ISSUE BACK TO COURT. Yes, these are happening.

Also please help us by going to DefendtheChildren.com and join us in gathering information about children who are hurt because of a failing system. I am working on getting information on all 50 states. With the information, I will petition the legislators to make and change laws to protect the children.

There are incest loopholes which need to stop.

Child abuse needs to be criminalized and not dismissed because the perpetrator is the parent. A child should have the right to not be raped. If a stranger raped a child, it would mean 25 years in prison but for a parent, it means give the parent the kids as the parent has rights.

GIVE THE RIGHTS TO THE CHILDREN AND PROTECTIVE PARENTS

When an accused retaliate with claiming to have been falsely accused and PAS than that should also be investigator but no judge should make a ruling of it without a trial where the accused child abuser has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the protective parent is guilty (this would be separate from the abuse case) and in the meantime the alleged accuser be given supervised visitation only. If it is determine the protective parent is not being vindictive than the alleged abuser be forbidden from using that tactic and the abuse case proceed without the disruption such allegation against the protective parent causes and the smokescreens the alleged accuser set up are destroyed so the truth can be found. A child's voice need to be allowed to speak.

 

PLEASE SIGN PETITION HERE:

        

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