Hawaii failing to get domestic abuse data
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Local News
Posted on: Saturday, January 31, 2009
Hawaii failing to get domestic abuse data
But progress made in other areas of 5-year plan to combat abuse
By Rob Perez
Advertiser Staff WriterLegislators yesterday questioned why Hawai’i lacks comprehensive data to gauge the extent of a pervasive domestic violence problem, even though the dearth of information has persisted for years and the state spent $100,000 in the 1990s to set up a computer system to compile data.
The data collection never started because once the system was established at the request of domestic-violence service providers, none of the agencies reported data to the attorney general’s office, Adrian Kwock, chief of grants and planning for the office, told legislators.
Even though the attorney general’s office sent the agencies reminders, no data came in, so the office eventually shut down the federally funded system, Kwock said.
"That seems like a lame excuse," said Sen. Will Espero, D-20th (‘Ewa Beach, Waipahu), noting the waste of taxpayer dollars.
The exchange took place yesterday during a legislative hearing to update lawmakers on the state’s five-year strategic plan to combat domestic violence, which was adopted in 2007.
some progress made
Officials in the domestic violence community told legislators about progress being made in key areas, such as increasing community awareness and promoting more education and training efforts. But in improving data collection, one of the major priorities in the strategic plan, little has been done.
"That’s a real weak area for us," said Angie Doi, a Child & Family Service executive who helped with the plan.
Data collection has been a problem for years in part because agencies put the vast majority of their resources into providing services and little, if any, in collecting data — beyond what they need to justify the money they get from funding organizations. The statistics that are available often become tailored to the needs of the funding groups, making the data difficult to compare and analyze beyond those needs.
The practical effect is that legislators and others dealing with public policy have a tough time gauging how serious Hawai’i’s abuse problem is and what measures are most effective in curtailing the violence.
"Policy is hard enough to make when you have data," said Rep. Gene Ward, R-17th (Kalama Valley, Queen’s Gate, Hawai’i Kai). "But when you don’t have data, it’s even harder."
police reports down
One of the few measures Hawai’i has to gauge its domestic violence problem actually has shown a declining trend over the past decade, even though virtually everyone who provides services to victims say the problem is not getting any better and seems to be getting worse because of the sputtering economy.
Since 1996, reports to police of abuse of family or household members — Hawai’i’s main domestic-violence statute — have declined dramatically, as have arrests and prosecutions under that statute, according to state figures. Abuse calls to police statewide, for instance, fell 64 percent from 1996 to 2005, according to the most recent numbers available.
One major reason for the decline, some victims and their advocates say, is that abused women have lost faith in Hawai’i’s criminal justice system, believing it will not hold their abusers accountable or provide sufficient protections. Victims therefore are reluctant to report their beatings, they say.
Following yesterday’s briefing, Espero said he was "dumbfounded" by the explanation on why the attorney general’s data-collection system was discontinued and that such little progress has been made since then.
"You just shake your head and say we could do better," he said.
no plans laid out
Those at yesterday’s meeting said they would continue to address the data problem, but no one mentioned any specific plans.
The problem, legislators were told, is that no good system for collecting comprehensive, apples-to-apples data is in place, and no funding is available to establish one.
Kwock noted that the office even collects data differently for two U.S. Justice Department programs.
Even though no statistics were produced, several speakers told legislators that they have seen a rise in domestic-abuse cases since the economy started heading south.
Joblessness, homelessness and other economic struggles have added to family stresses and contributed to the increase in abuse, the speakers said.
"It is far more rampant than even the statistics we don’t have show," said Joan Chatfield, executive director of the Institute for Religion and Social Change.
Reach Rob Perez at rperez@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Hawaii failing to get domestic abuse data | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser
YouTube – Gunpowder and Lead Domestic Violence in Custody Cases
GIRLs…This could be the most important THREE MINUTES of your life.
Category: Nonprofits & Activism
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PAS= Perpetrators Aligning Strategically
Domestic Violence Pregnancy Child Custody …Gun Powder and Lead Family Court Claudine Dombrowski Alec Baldwin P.A.S. Parental Alienation Syndrome children4justice is NOT about children OR justice
Two Pennsylvania Judges Indicted on Federal Charges « RightsForMothers.com
Two Pennsylvania Judges Indicted on Federal Charges
Filed under: Children’s rights, Corrupt Judges, Corrupt bastards, Pennsylvania — justice4mothers @ 12:06 pm
Two corrupt bastards down, many more to go…from MSNBC:
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A two year federal investigation leads to charges against two Luzerne County judges. They are charged with federal fraud and tax crimes. The Eyewitness News I-Team first told you about the investigation late last summer.
Federal investigators including the FBI, U.S. Attorney and the IRS gathered Monday at the Federal courthouse in Scranton to announce charges of fraud and conspiracy against Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella (left) and Michael Conahan (right). It all had to do with their involvement with a privately-owned juvenile detention center in Luzerne County. U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson said, “The defendants engaged in fraud by taking millions of dollars from two unnamed persons in connection with the construction, operation and expansion of juvenile detention facilities here in Luzerne County and elsewhere.”
Investigators say the judges issued court rulings that would make sure juveniles were detained even when probation officers recommended that they be released. They also issued court orders that forced the county to use the detention center exclusively. The judges admitted to the charges and will now face prison time. “The judges have stipulated to a sentence of 87 months, just over 7 years in federal prison. The judges further agreed to resign their position as judges within 10 days. With their guilty pleas they face automatic disbarment from the practice of law and they must pay restitution as determined by the courts,” added Carlson.
Federal investigators say they diverted some $2.6 million dollars into their accounts and issued court orders to make sure the Pennsylvania Child Care Center in Pittston Township benefited. They also admitted to taking kick-backs from people connected to the construction and operation of the facility. The U.S. Attorney says the investigation is ongoing and future arrests are possible.
Two Pennsylvania Judges Indicted on Federal Charges « RightsForMothers.com
Holly Collins Pleads for her Child
Holly Collins Pleads for her Child
from What About Him? by childrenunderground
January 16 2009
Dear Supporters,
I can’t stop crying. I feel as if my life is falling apart again! I am so tired of fighting for every little piece of ‘peace and quiet.’ I don’t ever ask for anything for myself. I don’t mean to be a martyr but I had such a horrible child hood that all I ever wanted was a family of my own. Once I had children, all I ever wanted was for them to be safe. Do you know that when we first went to the child psychologist back in 1990 and she asked me if I thought my children were happy I replied “I don’t have time to worry if they are happy or not. I’m too busy trying to keep them safe.” I was 25 years old and so ashamed of my answer. Today I am filled with the same sense of shame.
I am so grateful to my wonderful daughter Jennifer and for all of you for standing up for me. I really feel like I don’t deserve it. I am ashamed that I am such a weakling. I don’t know how to defend myself because I sort of believe some of the horrible things that they are printing about me. I wish I was smarter, prettier, thinner, kinder, stronger, etc… I have to constantly remind myself that “People like me” aren’t only to serve others as my own mother, step-father and then husband constantly told me.
I wish you could know me here in the Netherlands. I love being a mother more than anything in the world! Here is a photo of me and my youngest daughter playing in the snow last week. I am really that kind, loving, happy mom that you see in the photo. I promise you that I am a good mother! I love being the mother of 10 super, amazing kids! They are all such good kids.
I feel so bad for Christopher. He is 16 years old and he keeps asking/telling me to “just do something about it.”and to “make things right.” How can I if his father doesn’t care about his well being because he is obsessed with punishing me for ruining his life by having the baby in the first place (16 years ago.)
I am pulled right back into my past of helplessness when Zachary once said to me “A good mother wouldn’t let them take her kids away.”
I am really trying to put up a brave front but I feel like I am dying inside. I would appreciate any advice you can give.
Thank you,
Holly
PS. Just in case, here are the web sites from my kids:
http://www.americanchildrenunderground.blogspot.com/
Myths That Place Children At Risk During Custody Litigation
Myths That Place Children At Risk During Custody Litigation
http://stopfamilyviolence.org/ocean/host.php?folder=107&page=248
Myths That Place Children At Risk During Custody Litigation
by Stephanie Dallam, Rn, Ms, Fnp and Joyanna Silberg, Phd
The Leadership Council has
become increasingly concerned about the legal system’s treatment of
victims of family violence during divorce and child custody
proceedings. The LC has reviewed documentation from a number of cases
in which children were placed in the sole custody of a parent that the
child alleges is physically or sexually abusing them. Many of these
children were prohibited from any contact or provided only limited
contact with the parent seeking to protect the child – despite the fact
that this parent had never been found to have harmed the child. In most
cases the child’s allegations were quite credible.
Some groups have opposed exposure of this problem claiming that
the information is politically motivated or constitutes
“father-bashing.” Our analysis indicates that the problem of abusers or
batterers obtaining custody is widespread and well documented by
research. Presenting this information is not an attempt to “bash”
any particular group, but is offered simply to educate professionals
about the extent of this serious problem affecting child safety.
Societal acceptance of these myths assists perpetrators of family
violence by giving them custody of their victims and by encouraging
public denial about the failure of the legal system to protect these
children. The Leadership Council prepared this analysis because we
believe that society as a whole benefits when the public has access to
accurate information regarding child abuse and other forms of
interpersonal violence.
to finish this interesting article
http://stopfamilyviolence.org/ocean/host.php?folder=107&page=248
For a copy of this article as it originally appeared in the Sexual Assault Report, click here (pdf)
Jennifer Collins – Accounts of Childhood Abuse
Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse – CA3
Jennifer Collins – Accounts of Childhood Abuse
from CA3 – Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse by childrenunderground
My name is Jennifer Tveter, publically known as Jennifer Collins.
I am speaking to you all who share my frustrations in the current workings of the family court. I know all to well how the family court fails to protect children. I have only begun to publically share my personal experiences within the last year.
I am setting up my own organization CA3 -Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse
http://www.ca3cacaca.blogspot.com/
My goals are:
1.) To aspire to be the voice of every child who is a victim of Court Appointed Child Abuse (CA- CA!)
2.) To find a way to hold the family court authorities accountable for their "Failure to Protect" children from abuse.
3.) To make it clear that CA-CA will no longer be tolerated and the ‘The CA-CA stops here!’
I would like to invite you to look through this site. Please consider if there is any way that you would write your story and share it with other kids/young adults who are struggling to make sense of the abuse they suffered as children. You can always keep anonymous if you feel more comfortable. This is a summary of what happened to me:
When I was a little girl I was abused by my father. I told my mom that my dad was hurting me. She believed me and told the court. Even though my mother believed me and tried to protect me, I was not listened to by the family court system. The court thought that my mother was over reacting to ‘isolated incidents’ of ‘harsh treatment’ from my father and not a ‘pattern’ of child abuse. They suspected that our mom may have an unreasonable fear of our father because of the domestic abuse she suffered from him. The court found domestic violence but the judge said that our mom should get over the abuse.
My mother was accused of PAS, Parental Alienation Syndrome. When my mom stood up to the judge and tried to protect us, he decided to punish her by taking me and my brother away from her and giving us to our father.
On December 22 1992 I didn’t understand what was happening when a car pulled up and a court officer pulled me out of my mother’s arms and handed me to my abusive father. I was kicking and screaming “Mommy Please don’t make me go with him. He hurts me and he hurts my brother. Mommy I want my Mommy.” It was the worst day of my life!
My brother and I were forced to live in abuse for 18 months and 8 days. It was hell. We weren’t allowed to have any contact with our mother for what seamed and eternity. When we were finally allowed to have limited supervised visitation with our mom I told her “He’s still hurting us.” I showed her the bruises and welts on my back and bottom. The visitation supervisor gasped but then scolded me “you are not allowed to talk about those kinds of things anymore.” During another visitation I told my mom about even more abuse. The supervisor threatened us that if we mentioned that my father was hurting us again, we would not be able to see our mother at all.
The family court tried to silence me as a child but my mom had raised us to ‘always tell the truth no matter what.’ My brother and I secretly wrote messages to our mother when we were at our father’s house. During visitation we would sneak the notes in her pockets. We kept begging our mom to come rescue us.
Our mom finally "kidnapped" us back on June 30th 1994. It was the best day of my life!! While we were on the run, my mom researched the libraries of the local towns we were hiding in. She found the Elizabeth Morgan story, another mother who sent her little girl to New Zealand when the US courts failed to protect her. My mom decided to also try to get us to New Zealand. We spent a lot of time at airports trying to find a way out of the United States. Eventually we snuck out of the United States and we were apprehended in Europe. After 3 long years of living in Dutch refugee centers with other refugees from Bosnia, Iran, Somalia, etc… we were the first Americans to be granted asylum in the Netherlands. We continued to live in secrecy for almost 14 years when we were found by the FBI.
The United States brought criminal charges against our mom for kidnapping and tried to have her extradited. I searched the internet for anyone and everyone to help us. I started an email campaign and sent out over 1000 emails telling our story all over the world. Through the Leadership Council I found Dr. Silberg, a child psychologist who believes kids! She became my mentor and she is a tremendous support. I also found the most help from Marlene. Kaufmann the General Counsel for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission.) and from Congressman Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives.
In September 2008 I returned to the United States for the first time since we fled 14 years ago to try to find a way to protect my mom. After all she was in this trouble because she believed me and my brother and she only broke the law trying to protect us when the courts failed. Eventually all kidnapping charges against my mother were dropped and she had to plead guilty to only one count of contempt of court. My mother said "I admit to having contempt for the court which failed to protect my children."
Now the Dutch government has granted our family indefinite asylum and we are safe in Holland. We would like to return home to Massachusetts but the same judge who didn’t believe me as a child is still trying to take my 16 year old brother away from the only family he has ever known. We are forced to remain in exile for 2 more years until my brother turns 18.
Now that I am an adult I refuse to be further Silenced. I have decided to expose the injustices to children in the American family courts. I would really appreciate your help if you could come forward and share your story. Together we can demand reform of the family courts and protect young children from the abuse we endured.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Our story can be found in more detail on http://www.americanchildrenunderground.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Collins – Accounts of Childhood Abuse
Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse – CA3
Jennifer Collins – Accounts of Childhood Abuse
from CA3 – Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse by childrenunderground
My name is Jennifer Tveter, publically known as Jennifer Collins.
I am speaking to you all who share my frustrations in the current workings of the family court. I know all to well how the family court fails to protect children. I have only begun to publically share my personal experiences within the last year.
I am setting up my own organization CA3 -Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse
http://www.ca3cacaca.blogspot.com/
My goals are:
1.) To aspire to be the voice of every child who is a victim of Court Appointed Child Abuse (CA- CA!)
2.) To find a way to hold the family court authorities accountable for their "Failure to Protect" children from abuse.
3.) To make it clear that CA-CA will no longer be tolerated and the ‘The CA-CA stops here!’
I would like to invite you to look through this site. Please consider if there is any way that you would write your story and share it with other kids/young adults who are struggling to make sense of the abuse they suffered as children. You can always keep anonymous if you feel more comfortable. This is a summary of what happened to me:
When I was a little girl I was abused by my father. I told my mom that my dad was hurting me. She believed me and told the court. Even though my mother believed me and tried to protect me, I was not listened to by the family court system. The court thought that my mother was over reacting to ‘isolated incidents’ of ‘harsh treatment’ from my father and not a ‘pattern’ of child abuse. They suspected that our mom may have an unreasonable fear of our father because of the domestic abuse she suffered from him. The court found domestic violence but the judge said that our mom should get over the abuse.
My mother was accused of PAS, Parental Alienation Syndrome. When my mom stood up to the judge and tried to protect us, he decided to punish her by taking me and my brother away from her and giving us to our father.
On December 22 1992 I didn’t understand what was happening when a car pulled up and a court officer pulled me out of my mother’s arms and handed me to my abusive father. I was kicking and screaming “Mommy Please don’t make me go with him. He hurts me and he hurts my brother. Mommy I want my Mommy.” It was the worst day of my life!
My brother and I were forced to live in abuse for 18 months and 8 days. It was hell. We weren’t allowed to have any contact with our mother for what seamed and eternity. When we were finally allowed to have limited supervised visitation with our mom I told her “He’s still hurting us.” I showed her the bruises and welts on my back and bottom. The visitation supervisor gasped but then scolded me “you are not allowed to talk about those kinds of things anymore.” During another visitation I told my mom about even more abuse. The supervisor threatened us that if we mentioned that my father was hurting us again, we would not be able to see our mother at all.
The family court tried to silence me as a child but my mom had raised us to ‘always tell the truth no matter what.’ My brother and I secretly wrote messages to our mother when we were at our father’s house. During visitation we would sneak the notes in her pockets. We kept begging our mom to come rescue us.
Our mom finally "kidnapped" us back on June 30th 1994. It was the best day of my life!! While we were on the run, my mom researched the libraries of the local towns we were hiding in. She found the Elizabeth Morgan story, another mother who sent her little girl to New Zealand when the US courts failed to protect her. My mom decided to also try to get us to New Zealand. We spent a lot of time at airports trying to find a way out of the United States. Eventually we snuck out of the United States and we were apprehended in Europe. After 3 long years of living in Dutch refugee centers with other refugees from Bosnia, Iran, Somalia, etc… we were the first Americans to be granted asylum in the Netherlands. We continued to live in secrecy for almost 14 years when we were found by the FBI.
The United States brought criminal charges against our mom for kidnapping and tried to have her extradited. I searched the internet for anyone and everyone to help us. I started an email campaign and sent out over 1000 emails telling our story all over the world. Through the Leadership Council I found Dr. Silberg, a child psychologist who believes kids! She became my mentor and she is a tremendous support. I also found the most help from Marlene. Kaufmann the General Counsel for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission.) and from Congressman Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives.
In September 2008 I returned to the United States for the first time since we fled 14 years ago to try to find a way to protect my mom. After all she was in this trouble because she believed me and my brother and she only broke the law trying to protect us when the courts failed. Eventually all kidnapping charges against my mother were dropped and she had to plead guilty to only one count of contempt of court. My mother said "I admit to having contempt for the court which failed to protect my children."
Now the Dutch government has granted our family indefinite asylum and we are safe in Holland. We would like to return home to Massachusetts but the same judge who didn’t believe me as a child is still trying to take my 16 year old brother away from the only family he has ever known. We are forced to remain in exile for 2 more years until my brother turns 18.
Now that I am an adult I refuse to be further Silenced. I have decided to expose the injustices to children in the American family courts. I would really appreciate your help if you could come forward and share your story. Together we can demand reform of the family courts and protect young children from the abuse we endured.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Our story can be found in more detail on http://www.americanchildrenunderground.blogspot.com/
Glenn's Cult?: Collins – an examination of the facts
Collins – an examination of the facts
Glenn Sacks states that the first problem is that Holly has made complaints of abuse against a wide variety of people. On this list are her mother, stepfather, an old landlord, a neighbor in the Netherlands, The new wife of Mark, Mark, and Jeff Imm. Okay so she has made those claims. Just because she says they are true and they say they are not true does not make them any less true. I have lived over 4 decades and in the course of that time have run up against some extremely caring people, and I have met some very nasty people. In terms of what is considered abusive, what I might feel is abusive, someone else might not think the same. So why is it up to an outsider to determine if Holly felt abused? I will not even argue this position with someone of Glenn’s caliber. If a man says he was abused, it is believed by Glenn and by all of his cult (well some of his cult I should say because Glenn does allow a few posters who dissent on his forum, just so he can keep it interesting).
Problem two he claims is that Holly has made a variety of violence claims in several courts and they all have found against her. Again this means nothing as women in today’s culture are very often found not credible due to the emotional aspect of these issues.Batterers naturally strive to turn mediation and GAL processes to their advantage, through the use of various tactics. Perhaps the most common is to adopt the role of a hurt, sensitive man who doesn’t understand how things got so bad and just wants to work it all out "for the good of the children." He may cry in front of the mediator or GAL and use language that demonstrates considerable insight into his own feelings. He is likely to be skilled at explaining how other people have turned the victim against him, and how she is denying him access to the children as a form of revenge, "even though she knows full well that I would never do anything to hurt them." He commonly accuses her of having mental health problems, and may state that her family and friends agree with him. The two most common negative characterizations he will use are that she is hysterical and that she is promiscuous. The abuser tends to be comfortable lying, having years of practice, and so can sound believable when making baseless statements. The abuser benefits to the detriment of his children if the court representative fails to look closely at the evidence – or ignores it – because of his charm. He also benefits when professionals believe that they can "just tell" who is lying and who is telling the truth, and so fail to adequately investigate.
Excerpt from Lundy Bancroft UNDERSTANDING THE BATTERER IN CUSTODY AND VISITATION DISPUTES
In other words Holly was found even less credible with every allegation she raised. Just because this happens in court (according to a leading domestic violence expert) does not mean that a woman (specifically Holly) is lying about abuse. It could very well mean that Mark has played the abuser card, managed to woo the evaluators into his corner by doing as Bancroft has stated. He wowed them with his concern and knowledge and his care for the children ‘appeared’ to be that of a good father. Just because he appears to be a good father does not make him a good father. Glenn also states that any litigant is able to get an RO simply for whoing up. This is not true at all. In my own case I have attempted to get 2 RO’s after the original permanent one was dropped by the judge and I could not even get a temporary order. In fact, in the second order I was told that obnoxious behavior is not against the law. So point two has now been countered. It is highly possible that due to Holly’s naivete of court procedures and that the fact that once a court finds against you more than 2 or 3 times, any further reports will be viewed in the same light. Kind of a reverse boy who cried wolf if you will. She cried once without enough documentation (you see courts want proof even though this is civil court and only a preponderance of the allegations should have to be proven, many times the courts and the officers of the courts rely on the standard for criminal courts – beyond a reasonable doubt. Reasonable doubt is possible in all cases of dv due to the very hidden nature of this crime).
Glenn then states that Zachary sustained the alleged injury not from his father, but at an amusement park. He sustained TWO (repeat 2, not 1 but 2!!!!) head injuries. The first was at the amusement park, but the second was by his father. So here we go again with leaving ut parts of the truth and only saying what you think the reader should hear (talk about your censorship).
Glenn then says issue number 4 is that a reputable child psychiatrist disputes Holly’s claims. he (the psychiatrist says this because the children appear to be doing well under the father’s care while the father had custody. Do you the reader honestly think that Mark would be kicking the children’s dog, slamming their heads into walls, punching and shoving Holly with a psychiatrist present. Also we must look at this logically. We are talking about 2 young children here. What if this scenario was present instead. Dad abuses child and then tells child, if you tell on me they will take you away from me, your mom is crazy so you won’t go with her. Then father attempts to woo child by buying child something or promising to not abuse. This is typical of your batterer and the honeymoon, escalation and abuse cycles. The abuser escalates in his anger and violence until you have the actual incidents of violence. he then enters into the honeymoon phase. If an adult victim can be wowed by this and think things will change, how is a child to react? Jennifer and Zachary were quite probably scared out of their wits. The issues of child abuse and domestic violence have been around since creation, only to be recognized as such in the 20Th century. In fact, child abuse was not viewed as a crime and the first documented case of child abuse was brought on by the ASPCA in the late 1800’s. However, the system is far from perfect. In reading Jennifer’s website, we see that Zachary spoke to his therapist/psychiatrist about his fears of his father. And yet again we have a professional who cannot see the writing on the wall. Jennifer and Zachary have both disproved Glenn on this point clearly and without a doubt. I will now drop this due to their requests. Future posts will not be entertained. I wish Jennifer all the best. I wish Zachary all the best. I wish Holly all the best. I also pray that God puts a veil of protection over this family and keeps them safe from the harm that might occur from these rabid father’s rights groups. These groups and those who run them really should get a life.
Posted by Glenn’s Cult? at 11:30 AM
Labels: "He Said She Said", abuse, Holly Collins, Jennifer Collins, Sacks, Zachary Collins
Child 'thrown' from West Gate Bridge Child 'thrown' from West Gate Bridge
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Child ‘thrown’ from West Gate Bridge
MEX COOPER
29/01/2009 11:31:00 AM
A 36-year-old man has been arrested after a young girl was thrown from a 58-metre high section of the West Gate Bridge into the Yarra River.
Police are questioning the man, reportedly from Hawthorn, who was arrested in the Melbourne CBD.
The man, believed to be the father of the girl, was arrested outside the Commonwealth Law Courts building at the corner of La Trobe and William streets.
The Age believes he had gone with his two other children to the building.
A witness at the court told The Age that the man and his two children were in a "distressed state”.
The Age believes the family was part of a family law dispute in the Federal Magistrates Court earlier this week, and the man returned to the court unexpectedly this morning.
A caller to radio 3AW said he saw four or five police, including one with his gun drawn, surround a man on the ground outside the court building.
Paramedics this morning spent 45 minutes working to resuscitate the girl, aged about 5, who police believe was hurled from the bridge about 9am.
Witnesses have told police a man driving in the inbound lane of the Westgate Freeway pulled up near the top of the bridge and threw the child into the water below.
The girl was pulled from the water close to the western bank of the river on the northern side of the bridge about 9.15am.
Water police and air ambulance units were involved in her rescue.
Homicide squad detectives are travelling to the bridge to take over the investigation.
The inbound left-hand lane of the freeway has been closed for about 500m on the approach to the top of the bridge.
- A human Rights Issue – Custodial Justice
- American Children Underground
- Angela Shelton
- Angelzfury
- Anonymuma
- Anonymums
- Battered Moms losing Children to Abusers
- Behind The Blue Wall
- Broadsides
- Child Abuse and The Family court
- CHILDREN AGAINST COURT APPOINTED CHILD ABUSE
- Children’s Protection Alliance
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Council of Single Mothers and Their Children
- County In Need of Change
- Custody Preparation For Moms
- Defend The Children
- Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project
- Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project
- Domestic VIolence Resource Centre
- DV Free Kids
- Expose The Truth
- Fathers Rights Naked
- Feminist Avengers
- Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
- FR Naked
- Glenn’s Cult
- Hope For Kids
- How to Dissapear
- IndianaShame Teardrops For Katelynn
- Journal Of Family Studies
- Kids In Distress
- Legal Abuse Syndrome
- Mother – Fucking:The saga of One Fucked Mother
- Mothers For Equality
- Mothers For Justice
- Mothers of Lost Children
- NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR FAMILY COURT JUSTICE
- Non Custodial Moms of NY
- Obama’s Anonymums
- Orbvious
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- Power For Parents
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- Randi James
- RightsForMothers.com
- Rodney Croome Same Sex Activist
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- The Liz Library
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- The Truth About The Family Court
- Unifem
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- Women’s Legal Resource
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- Zoompad
little girl thrown from the bridge by her father and killed
Darcey Freeman’s death must be catalyst for change
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24986892-27197,00.html
(a comment from reader) ‘’ I thought it was my children as they had been with dad at the time.’’
Article from:
Madonna King
January 30, 2009 11:00pm
EVERY time I’ve looked at my young daughters in the past 24 hours, I’ve conjured a picture of Darcey Freeman. Sometimes she’s in a princess dress.
Other times, she’s fighting with her brothers, like any other four-year-old. Then I wonder whether she started Prep like my daughter this week. Or whether this little girl was even too young to walk through the gates of the Victorian education system.
She certainly wasn’t too young to know terror, and the rest of us can only imagine the sheer panic she would have felt as she was allegedly tossed like rubbish off a Melbourne bridge.
But Darcey Freeman shouldn’t be remembered for the ugly end to her short life; she should be remembered for the massive community change her death warrants.
And that change should centre on an overhaul of those issues at the centre of a family break-up: from how the law operates, including the time it takes to hear cases, to how we divide up our children post-divorce.
About 50,000 divorces are granted each year in Australia; half of those involve children. And despite the revamp we’ve seen, the system that envelopes family breakdown is still not working.
Each week, my column in-tray becomes home to another case where the break-down of a family destroys the lives of those experiencing it.
This week it was a mother in north Queensland. She went to family services with concerns her ex-husband was sexually interfering with their 18-month-old child.
Court hearings followed, as did a story repeated in case after case. Threatening phone calls, her pet dog attacked with a hammer, lights broken in the garden, her mother harassed, and eventually a domestic violence order taken out.
But it was the response from authorities – family services, busy hospital departments, and police hamstrung in finding specific evidence – that prompted her next decision.
"Rightly or wrongly and out of sheer desperation I decided to go away," she told me.
"This was the hardest thing I had ever done – leave my family and friends. I sold what I could and moved to Victoria."
But the law has a habit of catching up with people who try to go around it, and last year, Australian Federal Police knocked on her door.
Her son now lives with her ex-husband and she’s faced accusations she tutored the lad to accuse him of sexual misconduct. I’ve only heard her side, but her broken spirit reverberates with each sentence.
The director of the violence research centre at Griffith University, Professor Paul Mazerolle, says that while homicide rates might be decreasing, Australia can expect to host a growing number of the type of killings we witnessed on Thursday.
He blames our lifestyle – where quick living, a lack of social integration and faulty safety nets work against those struggling through family break-downs. Indeed, Professor Mazerolle believes we might learn from some developing world countries, where strong family ties and a "culture of community" bolster those at the centre of those emotional battles.
Bond University criminologist Professor Paul Wilson says a sense of isolation and detachment has created "human rockets or missiles" and politicians should focus on that, rather than the influence of video games and television.
"The solution is outside the police and criminal justice system," he says.
And that leaves the solutions in the hands of politicians, who set policy.
Remember the 2020 summit – that ideas fest set up about a year ago to determine the way forward?
It was hailed as the means of building a social fabric that along with a strong economic base, would guide Australia into the next decade.
Those ideas are still being mulled over, but Darcey Freeman should teach us that time has run out.
The talk yesterday was about Band-Aid measures like building safety barriers on our bridges.
Let’s do that, if it helps.
But what about looking at why someone might stop a car and toss a little body over a bridge?
Or why a parent – male or female – feels so desperate that they will pack up their child in the middle of the night and run away.
It might be because they can’t live without their child, or that they believe it is the best way to hurt the same person they once liked enough to share the birth of a child with.
Either way, the emotional and financial cost of family breakdown must be considered as big a threat to our community as the economic meltdown.
It’s what is going to be done about it that will make all the difference. Darcey Freeman’s death is the catalyst for change; what we do about it should be her legacy.
Madonna presents Mornings each weekday from 8.30am on 612 ABC Brisbane.
madonnak@bigpond.net.auWhere to get help:
13Health 1343 2584
Lifeline 131 114; www.lifeline.org.au
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; www.kidshelpline.com.au
Beyond Blue info line 1300 224 636; www.ybblue.com.au
Crisis In The Family Courts 
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