Chapter 12
Covering Domestic Violence
By Sarah Huntley

			In this chapter
			• Introduction • What is domestic    violence?    The Worst Case • The Legal System’s   Response to   Domestic Violence    Civil Courts    Criminal Courts • The Social   Response   to Domestic   Violence    Shelters    Hybrid Courts    Interviewing victims     and former victims,     survivors

The Social Response to Domestic Violence

Shelters
Fueled by the realization that many women in abusive relationships feel trapped by a lack of resources and a place to go, advocates have put many of their energies into creating safe havens, primarily for women and children. Most communities have opened shelters, many of them grant-funded, often in a nondescript home in a residential neighborhood. The location is kept under close wraps for safety reasons. Victims are often driven there by an advocate or given necessary information after reaching out for help through their community’s crisis hotline. The demand for shelters has grown considerably in recent years – and it is not unusual for the need to outweigh the space available. Most shelters allow women to stay for a temporary amount of time then attempt to help them find affordable housing elsewhere. Most shelters offer a range of services, including counseling, parenting classes, financial and legal support.

Hybrid courts
It is not necessary for women to report domestic violence to police to take advantage of a shelter or other services offered by crisis hotlines and safe havens. Advocates for abuse victims are beginning to think the social and legal systems might be more effective when they work closely together. As a result, some states have begun experimenting with hybrid courts – specialized courts specifically designed to handle domestic violence cases and armed with resources and programs that help batterers and victims get assistance that could made a difference. New York State has been at the forefront of these efforts, creating both Domestic Violence courts, which provide a judge and resource coordinator dedicated to domestic violence cases, and Integrated Domestic Violence courts, which go even further by making victim’s advocates and community service providers equal participants in the court process.

Interviewing victims and former victims/survivors
When it comes to domestic violence victims, stereotypes abound. The victim is often portrayed as meek, indecisive and unwilling or unable to accept responsibility for her own life. There are certainly women like that, as there are in the general population. But the opposite can be the case. Many of the victims and former victims (many of whom prefer to think of themselves as survivors) I’ve encountered have been strong, determined and desperate for a chance to take control. Courts – and the media – don’t always know what to make of these women. There have been cases when judges or mediators have ruled against them, saying, “She can’t possibly be a victim of domestic violence.” But the truth is more nuanced than that.

In 1999, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence published a handbook for journalists, in hopes of helping them cover the issue and survivors in a more meaningful way. The coalition spoke with a group of local women, Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships, about their perceptions of the media. As a result of those interviews, the organization came up with a list of recommendations from survivors. Among them:

• Do ask questions which help readers understand domestic violence.
• Do educate people about what they can do to stop domestic violence.
• Do explain why batterers batter.
• Do explain the dangers associated with leaving.
• Do interview survivors and describe the process of becoming a survivor.
• Do pay attention to language; word questions so they are not judgmental.
• Do consider the safety of the person being interviewed.
• Do strive to protect children’s privacy.
• Do know the difference between news business and triggering trauma.
• Do screen sources carefully and recognize the possible reluctance to speak ill of the dead.
• Do correct errors.
• Do respect the victim’s family.

• Don’t focus on gore.
• Don’t push for more revelations than survivors are ready to give.
• Don’t assume certain cultures or classes are more violent than others.
• Don’t treat survivors like victims.

The group also suggested some questions that could help during an interview:

• What made it hard for you to leave? (An alternative to why did you stay, which puts the guilt on the victim of the abuse)
• What advice would you give someone in a situation similar to the one you were in?
• If a woman is not ready to leave, what should she do to get ready?
• Whom did you call for help, where did you find help or did anyone try to help you?
• Were the police involved in your case, and if not, could the police have helped you?
  

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