A reader pointed out a New York Times editorial lauding the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as domestic violence czar. While the editorial encompasses some factual errors, it does a quite efficient job of illustrating the breadth and depth of the general misunderstanding regarding the issue of partner abuse.
In this article, I’ll go thru the Times piece point-by-point and explain where the Times, and in fact, most people, have the wrong idea. The Times statements are in bold.
Domestic violence is a serious law enforcement and public health problem affecting as many as one in four women in this country.
While there can be no disagreement that domestic violence is a serious problem, there is no evidence that "one in four" women are affected. This is only an opinion formulated by those in the industry, based on wishful thinking and a desire to keep funding rolling in to existing programs. It also ignores the concept that men are equally affected; a concept illustrated time and again by objective study, some of which has been done by those same existing programs.
Yet Washington has devoted too little attention to reducing domestic violence and sexual assaults generally. We welcome President Obama’s decision to create a new post, White House adviser on violence against women, and his appointment of a seasoned advocate for victims to fill it.
The fact that the announcement of the appointee was relegated to the Vice President, rather than the President, sends a clear message that this administration does not consider the issue to be of prime importance. It may come as a surprise to many that Ms Rosenthal is no advocate for women, rather she is only an advocate for the feminist political viewpoint regarding the issue. Her background bears this out:
Lynn Rosenthal is a former executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. She will report to Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, whose keen interest in the issue dates from his days in the Senate and his key role in enacting the 1994 Violence Against Women Act.
NNEDV has from its earliest days, promoted the questionable “solution” of divorce as the only approach to the issue. It has been instrumental in denying women the practical help they want and need, choosing instead to ignore realities and propagate feminist political theory.
Vice President Biden has been sadly misguided in his key role in creating VAWA. By establishing an incorrect perception of a human problem, and codifying it into law as a political and gender issue, while also establishing a special victim class in society, the Vice President has simply managed to stall progress and keep the issue firmly planted in a bygone era. Only time will tell the extent of the damage done.
Had the needs of women been considered at the time, rather than the goals of the feminist political lobby, a far more equitable and effective law may have been the result; if in fact government intervention would have been recognized as advantageous at all.
Ms. Rosenthal’s challenge, and the administration’s, will be to improve the carrying out of existing laws intended to protect women, starting with better coordination of the activities of all the government bureaucracies involved, including the Justice Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Improvement in the implementation of existing laws is sorely needed. However, there can be little hope of that with a feminist political operative at the helm.
A national survey of domestic violence shelters released in May showed a significant increase in the number of women seeking assistance since last fall, a rise largely attributable to the stresses of the economic crisis and rising unemployment. States need to set up more emergency shelters and find more transitional housing for people fleeing violent situations. And they must do more to help these victims rebuild their lives.
Just because women are seeking assistance cannot be construed as a need for more shelter programs. Partner abuse affects families at all socioeconomic levels, most of whom can arrange for a place to go in time of crisis. In the 21st century, women as well as men need counseling and guidance to help them deal with their own issue in a way that best suits their families.
There is no need whatsoever for more shelters. The need is for the existing shelters to manage their programs in such a way that includes those who want that kind of help, while excluding those who use (and abuse) the service for other reasons. Shelter capacity has risen dramatically in the last few decades, and as they expand, these programs continue to repeat the same mistakes, and as a result only serve a tiny minority of bona fide victims of partner abuse.
If compassionate, and realistic consideration was given to the issue of partner abuse in the first place, far fewer people would need to "rebuild their lives" once the current system was done with them.
Ms. Rosenthal will need to tackle bureaucratic and legal hurdles and find more money to help states, localities and charitable groups address those needs.
Despite the billions of dollars constantly flowing to the domestic violence industry, it continues to underperform. Again, there is little hope of the industry getting support at the federal level for the needed adjustments in both programs and guiding concepts with a feminist political operative serving as advisor to the Obama administration.
It is well known that communities eagerly support successful programs and agencies. Since few shelter programs have ever demonstrated publicly any success at all, it is questionable whether more public money would be an improvement.
She must also help end the scandal of the thousands of rape kits sitting untested in crime labs and police storage facilities across the country, allowing countless criminals to escape punishment.
As this is clearly a separate, unrelated issue, one could be forgiven for wondering why it was included in the discussion at all. That is because VAWA makes no distinctinction between personal and governmental issues, and conflates crimes perpetrated by strangers with difficulties in an intimate relationship. The feminist view is that all women are victims; all men are perpetrators. That is the fatal flaw of VAWA: it entirely ignores the human element.
Comments
Trudy are you waking up to the matter of women doing DV as often as do men?
Trudy, a sensational article, and thank you for pointing out the divisive flaws of the gender feminist war on men which borders on human rights abuses. It is sad when we have reached a point where the voices and perspectives of men on this issue, and any gender issue has been forbidden, so kudos to women like you (and me) who are standing up to confront the incredibly insane lack of reason, pragmatism and resolve to deal with this very human issue. Thank you.
Thank you, Trudy, for an exceptional article. Elizabeth summed it up perfectly. I will only add that I hope this leads to the examination of the many other areas of our culture where men are ignored, abused or excluded from equal rights. I know there are many.
AN OPEN LETTER TO LYNN ROSENTHAL,
NEW WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
On June 26, 2009, Vice President Biden named Lynn Rosenthal as White House Advisor on Violence Against Women (VAW). Rosenthal has championed the movement against domestic and sexual violence for three decades, leading the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) from 2000 to 2006. Most recently, she served as executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Previously, she played a major advocacy role in reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and assisted states and communities with its implementation. For the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, she developed service models and created the state’s first comprehensive plan to help survivors find housing. She has also worked with corporate partners to promote economic empowerment for survivors and to bring millions of dollars in aid to communities in responding to domestic violence.
Ms. Lynn Rosenthal
Yea!
This is the counterweight to the other side. Can we clone you?
You want hard numbers, yet fail to come up with statistics for your own assertions- like how many people "abuse" DV shelter services. "Few shelter services have ever demonstrated success??" This is a lie, plain and simple. Shelters all over the country provide an integral service and serve hundreds of women, children and MEN on a yearly basis. And
feminists generally seek GENDer justice... we do NOT think that all women are victims and men are perpetrators. By saying this you are perpetrating a myth and a lie.
I am an abused and battered woman. My children have been abused and battered by this same man, my former spouse, their father.
Clearly, you must admit that any forward movement by the current administration is a help to victims of abuse. I ask that rather than condemn this post and the person chosen you come and walk a mile in my shoes. Perhaps then you would agree that any help with regard to our safety is worthwhile.
This is a wonderful article and it seems we have the same point of view. I am glad that you have shed light on this issue for those who are not familiar with the lack of assistance Coalitions, the NNEDV, and shelters provide victims of violence.
www.4survivors.blogspot.com
This article is a highly offensive exercise in faulty logic. The points presented here are not supported by any actual facts and the author clearly does not understand either the function of this newly created White House position or the reality of violence against women (both domestic and stranger assault).
This article is nothing more than a Rush Limbaugh-esque attempt to paint feminists in a negative light and spread propaganda minimizing the misogynist problems in our society.
Trudy
Like most government bureaucracies, the domestic violence industry exacerbated a problem that they were created to solve. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)provokes violence against women (just as it's name implies). Joe Biden is an enemy of women living in America and is attempting to expand his war across the globe. Thanks for your insightful article.
Until you fully understand what it's like to run in the middle of the night with your children in your arms, or not being able to get to a phone while you think every breath you take may be your last, you need to stop making comments about things you don't understand. Abused as a child and then to find a husband worse than my father, I can honestly say that you don't know what you're talking about. Women need someone in their corner, and I know plenty of women that have been in the same boat as myself, used, abused, and nowhere to turn. There is only one shelter for abused women in my hometown but the amount of women that I personally know that are abused would fill it up in a heartbeat.Talk to women in this situation and find out just how wrong you are! I had a knife at my throat for 6 hours, and the only refuge I had was that he fell asleep. I luckily escaped with my life, but had nowhere to go. NO ONE WILL GET INVOLVED! Women need shelters to be able to live, &protect our kids.
Be sure to realize that while your situation is the one they use to promote the prgrams, and while you truly needed and deserved to have help; there are many times when women use abuse as an excuse, when it is not a reality. My son is a victim of an abusive wife. her abuse was emotional and psychological. I watched and tried to stop it. They moved in with her mother, a fine mentor to the girl. When they kicked him out, they bruised the girl and got a restraining order against my son and used it to leave him with no vehicle to go to work to support a prior child. They also used it to keep him from seeing his daughter. I was also not allowed to see her. There was no chance for him to defend himself against her allegations of abuse by him. Being a man, he will not counter about her abuse of him. People like her who only see the females as victims, ignore people like these. Not good. The problem will continue.
First, I'd like to say that women do not commit DV as much as men. About 14% of all reported DV arrests were women abusing men. Further examining this, roughly half of those arrests were women who were defending themselves against a man's attack. There probably are alot more men being abused than we know about, but if there were an out cry for men needing assistance more than women something would probably be done.
Next, if you break down the numbers of how many American women who are abused every year and the number of women in the U.S. it is about one in four women are abused; under the age of 25.
Also, I fully agree with Janice. I was abused from the time I was 16 until I was 19 and finally found a safe opportunity to leave. If you haven't been called a whore for 10 hours while a man with 10 times as much stregnth as you have punches you in the chests and chokes you into unconsciesness, shut your mouth. All these people are doing are revictimizing abused women, and furthering sexism. How stereotypical is it for a man to go on and on about how men are abused and ignore this as a women's issue?
lynn rosenthal is devil
Hi, my name is Nate Cunningham and I am 20 years old and have never been in trouble with the law before. I understand that true domestic violence is a serious social problem that must be dealt with. However I did not realize until last may the amount of power the legal system puts in the hands of a female, victim or not. I was involved in a very negative/borderline abusive relationship from sept 2007 to may 2009. There was emotional abuse on both sides and "minor" physical abuse on her side, slapping, grabbing my arm when I tried to leave, that sort of thing. Anyway in late may 2009 we were up broken up again for the hundreth time and she had asked me for a ride to and from work because her car had broken down. I agreed somewhat reluctantly and and took her to work in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon. Upon picking her up she requested a ride to get her car about 15 miles away I asked her to give me a little gas money because I had not been working since I got out of
school last april. She refused and began berating me, fed up I told her I was taking her home. She then started screaming and slapping me on the face calling me a piece of (expletive). I opened the car door and and got out, during which she slid over to the drivers side seat and sprung at me this time swinging her arms at my face I put my hands up to try to hold her back but I lost my balance and fell backwards onto the concrete with her on top of me. I managed to get up and get back in the car shut the door and locked it. At this point I realized I needed to get far away from her quickly I didn't want a rock through my window. I realized the she had gotten behind the car and tried to prevent me from backing out. I put the car in reverse and slowly let off the brake just inching back. She walked back with the car until I got it turned around pointing to the parking lot exit. As I started to move forward she jumped on the back of my car holding on to the spoiler and was bangin
being represented by a public defender who told me I have a 60% chance of being aquitted because there is no evidence and it is a he said she said case. I'm preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. I feel that the police did not treat me fairly in this case and the "domestic violence specialists" did not even try to hear my side of the story. I only hope that in your work in helping abused women you could be aware of the male victims of abusive women and an abusive system. Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Nathaniel Cunningham
ps. the police officer that took me to the jail wrote in the police report that I told him "I got angry so I threw her out of the car" how does he sleep at night?
charged with a no contact order violation and the detectives would visit my home if they had any questions. I was also told the no contact order only applies to me and she is free to text, call or show up at my house without consequence but if I have any contact with her I will be arrested. I was thinking I was going to be arrested when I got home but no police were there. For about two months I lived in fear of being arrested for the alleged violation and worrying about the case. I did some internet research and it appears I am not the only one who this has happened to and many of these stories were alot worse than mine. When I showed up in court for plea bargining I was informed the charges for the no contact order violation were dropped because they checked the phone records and saw I didn't call her. I'm currently taking the case to trial in september, I'm
minutes later I was put in handcuffs and arrested. On the ride to the jail I asked the cop why I was arrested instead of her and they said I was more reserved about giving them information and she had a scratch by her eye and that she didn't know how it happened. I said I didn't know either because I had not touched her. I was booked overnight and charged with assault in the fourth degree domestic violence issued a no contact order and released without bond. Two days after I got out of jail I recieved a text message from her saying "I hope you're enjoying your vacation. stay safe, I love you." Later that evening I recieved a call from a blocked number I answered and it was her saying "you're going to jail" then she hung up. 20 minutes later a washington state detective called me saying I had called her. I told him what happened and he informed me I was being
her if she was ok and if they should call the police. The police were called and I waited for them to show up thinking the situation was now safe and under control. At this point I noticed my right elbow was bleeding on my shirt and jeans. She asked me to get her purse and cell phone which had fallen out of the car when she jumped out the drivers side door to hit me. I retrived it and gave it to her remaining civil the whole time. When the police arrived I was searched and asked to sit on the curb. I was starting to see how this investigation was going to go. My arm was bandaged by the emts and she was evaluated but not treated. There were two regular officers and two domestic violence specialists with them. I told one officer what happened while the other three officers talked to her. At one point the officer asked me to talk in detail about my relationship with her, I told him that it was very personal and I didn't want to talk about it. About twenty
balance and fell backwards onto the concrete with her on top of me. I managed to get up and get back in the car shut the door and locked it. At this point I realized I needed to get far away from her quickly I didn't want a rock through my window. I realized the she had gotten behind the car and tried to prevent me from backing out. I put the car in reverse and slowly let off the brake just inching back. She walked back with the car until I got it turned around pointing to the parking lot exit. As I started to move forward she jumped on the back of my car holding on to the spoiler and was banging on my rear window. I moved forward at about 5 miles an hour for about 15 feet when she jumped off and fell on the ground. At this point I stopped the car and turned around and parked and got out to see if she was hurt. A young couple had pulled up in a truck and was asking
tried to leave, that sort of thing. Anyway in late may 2009 we were up broken up again for the hundreth time and she had asked me for a ride to and from work because her car had broken down. I agreed somewhat reluctantly and and took her to work in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon. Upon picking her up she requested a ride to get her car about 15 miles away I asked her to give me a little gas money because I had not been working since I got out of school last april. She refused and began berating me, fed up I told her I was taking her home. She then started screaming and slapping me on the face calling me a piece of (expletive). I opened the car door and and got out, during which she slid over to the drivers side seat and sprung at me this time swinging her arms at my face I put my hands up to try to hold her back but I lost my
I tried to post my story but it got messed up so if you take the time to read it and some parts are missing or mixed up I apologize but I feel that it is important for people to understand how a benign sounding law can empower a vindictive person to destroy another in the worst way.
Nate,
I read your story and I'm I feel for you. I worked at a domestic violence center and we helped a couple of men as well as hundreds of women. In my opinion, you need to bring up the "primary aggressor" law that a few states have, it says that even if she has a bruise on her arm from you pushing her away is a result of trying to defend yourself, and the damage to your car, bruises and/or scratches that may be hidden (maybe under your hair, shirt, etc...) needs to be evidence as too who the person initiating the violence is. Have you contacted your loval domestic violence shelter or advocacy group? I wish more men would speak out because this happens so often it needs to be addressed as well as crimes against women.
I believe that many time the government do too much to the fact to
destroy the families instead resolve the problems. Many time an abused woman or child need to be protected, but we should also
respect men. What did the last verse of the Jewish bible say?
Father's hearts return to their children and children's hearts
return to their fathers! That is what our society need!
Domestic Violence is a vastly overstated problem. Domestic Violence laws such as the stalinist VAWA are used by enemies of liberty to foist back-door Gun Grabs against Americans, who've caught on to the commie trick.
Predators with law degrees use malicious Restraining Orders to attack men with Judicial Terrorism and violate their rights.
Petty neighbors and estate grifters falsely claim an innocent person who has something they want committed 'domestic violence' so as to violate that person's Second Ammendment Rights and take that which they covet.
What nice people are served by Biden's Law, eh?
This trick as with many other ploys of the drug-sodden covetous Left is becoming increasingly known to the American citizens, who of late are in no mood for tricks.
If the above puts me some 'enemies list', so be it - I'll stand in good company.
Your influence counts - use it.
Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
07 January, 2010
Trudy, I am absolutely horrified at your remarks to which you have obviously never experienced DV yourself, as well as the lack of support from the men posting here. When your husband takes a cord and wraps it around your neck, then attempts to strangle you on the bed right next to your 2-mth old infant, then fleeing 18 STATES to get to safety and left $100K worth of belongings behind to save you and your daughter, I DARE you to live in the shoes of those of us who are educated, strong Christians, and laws and policies leave us to be responsible for financial burdens when those men are left to go free. 8K people were denied shelter in my state in 2008. If you stay with friends/family, then they too are in danger. My husband violated court order 4 times, and the trial has been cont'd 7 times. What type of justice is that for someone who attempts to take your breath away FOREVER? Check yourself, Ms. Trudy, as you and other comments here are truly ignorant.
Dear Nate,
i read your story and my heart goes out to you. No one deserves to be abused, berated, etc. However, although I understand how your experience has led you to come up with your conclusion regarding how much "power" the courts give women "victim or not," your experience is but a small percentage of the reality that exists. Here in Kern County we have some serious domestic violence issues. When you are the victim of abuse and FINALLY call the police after years of not calling, and they believe the lies of the abuser, you quickly realize that all the new laws and funds aren't going to help you one bit. Here in Ridgecrest, the police are famous for arresting the woman who has just gotten beaten up, roughing them up a bit more, and telling them that they like it. The judges here don't follow through with their orders for abusers to attend anger management, or substance abuse, and after all that suggested we have joint custody. When my sons told the police how their father
duct taped their mouths shut, and took pictures of my son's neck from the pinch marks and told them how he picked them up by their hair and slapped them across the face, they still didn't see this as something substantial enough to act upon. I have been abused, stalked, tortured for years, and only further victimized by the courts, police, child support division, and dept of human services who don't even seem to be aware that policies protecting victims of domestic violence exist. This is not a consistent outcome across the board. It depends on where you live, what kind of attitudes exist in the community and here in this corrupt and creepy town the single mother is treated like a dog and abused by the system as they prey on the vulnerable and pocket your kids' child support. It is different for everyone. Injustice exists everywhere it is a disgusting shame.
As for the lady that wrote this article. Wow lady, I don't know where you came up with your information, but no, people don't have people they can stay with, and if it weren't for the shelter system that existed at a time when I had no where to go with my 1 1/2 year old son in fear for my life, I don't know where I'd be now. Unless you've been mentally tortured to the point of having no self esteem, and have been isolated for so long and wind up with PTSD from being abused, don't pass judgement on what little resources exist for a vulnerable group of people who truly deserve the help. Unfortunately as long as the police and the courts remain uneducated in the true dynamics of domestic violence, and continue to proceed with their male chauvinistic attitudes leading the way, women and children will continue to die at the hands of the "charming liars" that are oh so convincing with the face they show to the rest of the world. Batterers are sick people who need to be taken seriously,
Some of these "funds" need to be put to work educating the idiots at the department of human services who refuse to acknowledge the laws that protect victims of domestic violence, and further victimize and penalize women by forcing them to participate in Cal-WORKS instead of honoring the exemptions and waivers meant to provide them the opportunity to regain their ability to funtion again. INstead, they threaten us with financial hardship and homelessness for non-compliance, causing further anxiety, and complications. You can't build a house on a faulty foundation, eventually you'll have to start over again and do it right, which means at some point, the healing has to take place. Unfortunately, instead of operating according to the manual of policy and procedures, the dhs wants to now "time me out," which means without some advocacy to defend my rights I've been denied under the family violence option, me and my two sons will be homeless in a few short months. Its too bad the federal
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are right, the abused woman hear and read about all of the protection and funds that are supposidly out there to help them if they get out, and when they get the courage to leave they are on their own. My daughter and her two babies left a DV situation, and when she seeked the help she was told was offered it wasn't. She was told that she could go to a shelter but they couldn't say what county would have a bed, if she stayed with family she was no longer in need of DV help and assistance. She was on her own. Social Services couldn't help her unless she found a job and she did find a part time job(she had no time for a time out to recollect herself) then she was told she had to be working full time to get child care and other help. She went to court 6 times and she was left to find a way to serve the abuser the supeonea when he didn't show up for court. She was victimized again by the system and had no healing time. She was turned away from the help she was told was out there especially for DV victims. The people in charge of these funds and systems have not themselves ever been victims or they would be more understanding of the pleas for help.
laws and state regulations haven't been applied in my case. Most people arent' even aware of these rights as I wasn't until recently. Now that I know of them, how do I get the county to admit that they exist and implement them in this situation? Who is going to let the counties know that they need to comply with the federal and state laws? Who is going to advocate for me and defend my rights for the waivers and exemptions and time limit waivers that I am eligible for, and allow me the time I need as I should have been all the years I was "suffering the effects of abuse?" It seems odd that I have had to fight the world to take a stand for myself. The saddest thing is, standing up for yourself is one of the hardest things for someone who is still trying to heal from the effects of domestic violence. This attitude that exists today is sickening. When I am done with college, I am going to be an advocate for those who are unable to advocate for themselves. NO thanks to people like you.
None of the partisan comments nor the evasive claims made in this "article" ring true, but rather have the leanings of a conservative agenda. Dubious complaints are made about the percentage of women being affected (belittling the longitudinal and quantitative research), and yet also about the excessive funds spent trying to help these women?
And to bring in stories about men belng beaten by women, detracts from and minimizes the plight. No evidence in the pool of accusations and complaints that Ms. Rosenthal isn't qualified or committed to this social ill was validated. Again, this is partisan pandering and another opportunity to mock the presidency at the expense of the truly needy.
I would just like to say that this article is filled with nothing but generalizations; there are no facts to back up the opinions offered by this author. It would be nice for once to encounter an intelligent and researched commentary rather than attacks to an issue that has affected millions of women and the most vulnerable victims...our children. I would also like to see the evidence of the personal attacks made on Ms. Rosenthal herself.
This article acts like Lynn Rosenthal is to blame for domestic violence. She had just gotten into the White House when this article was written. Wow! This is a poorly written article with unfounded comments and accusations. The author should know better. As a domestic violence advocate, I am ashamed that this garbage is out there from someone who claims to want to help. Can we get a BETTER writer on this topic that can offer some real solutions?! SMH
Trudy - GOOD GOING.
If Obama's actions on the economy hadn't disgusted me enough, his decision to adopt a position straight out of George Orwell, ignoring the problem of female-perpetrated DV has persuaded me that I made a huge mistake in voting for this anti-male ideologue.
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