Domestic Violence

05/28/2013

ACLU Seeks Accountability for Police Violation of the Rights of Domestic Violence Victims

By Katie Haas, ACLU Human Rights Program at 1:53pm

In 2008, 66 year old Baerbel Roznowski sought a protection order to keep herself safe from her estranged boyfriend, Chan Kim, who had a history of violence. A court issued the order, which said that Kim must stay away from Roznowski and her home and stop contacting her. The order included instructions for law enforcement explaining that Kim did not speak English well and would need an interpreter to fully understand what was happening, and that Kim would likely react violently against Roznowski when he received news that they would be separated. Unfortunately, the police officer who brought the order to Kim didn't bother to read these instructions. He gave the order to him at Roznowski's home, did not bring an interpreter, and left them together without ensuring that they were safely separated. Just hours later, Baerbel Roznowski was dead. Her boyfriend had stabbed her 18 times, murdering her in her own home.

04/24/2013

Domestic Violence

Shut Up or Get Out: PA City Punishes Domestic Violence Victims Who Call the Police

By Sandra Park, ACLU at 3:24pm

Last year in Norristown, Pa., Lakisha Briggs' boyfriend physically assaulted her, and the police arrested him. But in a cruel turn of events...

03/08/2013

Women's History Month

Bring Women's Human Rights Home

By Lenora M. Lapidus, Women's Rights Project at 10:13am

On this International Women's Day, March 8, we call on the United States government to apply the same human rights principles it preaches for women elsewhere around the world, to women here at home. We are currently in the middle of the two-week United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This year's 57th CSW focuses on elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. On Tuesday, the ACLU was invited to take part in an interactive discussion with a panel of world experts. The United States participated in the discussion as well.

03/01/2013

Women's History Month

Women’s History Month: We’ve Come So Far, We Have So Far to Go

By Emily Carter, Women's Rights Project, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:31pm

Today is March 1st – the start of Women’s History Month, which is dedicated to honoring women throughout history who have taken part in the movement to advance women’s rights. Over the years, women have fought tirelessly against discrimination to break down the social and economic barriers to gender equality.

While this month is a time to celebrate and reflect, it is also important to recognize that much work remains to be done. In 2013, women are still not treated equally in the workplace or in society. It has been nearly two decades since the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 was enacted, yet violence against women remains a grave threat. It has been 35 years since the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was enacted, yet pregnant women are still being pushed out of the workplace by their employers. It has been 50 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, yet the gender pay gap still exists.

02/15/2013

Domestic Violence

Think Globally, Act Locally, and Rise to End Violence Against Women and Girls

By Ramya Sekaran, ACLU Women's Rights Project at 10:57am

Yesterday, the ACLU joined one billion people from around the world in taking a stand against violence through our participation in V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

In the United States, gender-based violence is often viewed as an issue of concern for a small segment of the population, or as something that only affects poor women or women in conflict zones in far-flung corners of the globe.

01/10/2013

Domestic Violence

How Do We Move Forward After Legitimate Rape, Steubenville, Delhi?

By Sandra Park, ACLU at 4:50pm

Like so many people, I’ve been haunted by the stories describing the sexual assaults perpetrated against young women in Delhi. The crimes are horrific, and the reported victim-blaming only compounds the horror.

11/27/2012

Domestic Violence

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – Fulfilling Our Promise to Say “No” to Violence

By Ramya Sekaran, ACLU Women's Rights Project at 5:23pm

Last Sunday, November 25, the international community observed the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Women's rights activists have marked this as a day against violence since 1981, in memory of the Mirabal sisters, political activists who were brutally assassinated in 1960 on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo. Many advances have been made in the fight for gender equality since the first International Day, but many more challenges persist.

06/19/2012

Puerto Rico

ACLU Releases New Report on Widespread Police Brutality in Puerto Rico

By Ateqah Khaki at 10:18am

The ACLU today released a report that finds the Puerto Rico Police Department -- the second-largest police department in the U.S. -- is plagued by a culture of unrestrained abuse and brutality. The use of excessive or lethal force is routine among the 17,000 officer-department. In recent years, civil and human rights violations have resulted in the unjustifiable loss of civilians’ lives, and severe and lasting injuries.

05/18/2012

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

House GOP’s Rewrite of VAWA Does Violence to Immigrants

By Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:32pm

“[A]buse in the U.S. immigration system must be stopped,” Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) recently remarked. Ironic, considering that Smith is a co-sponsor of the recently passed H.R. 4970, a so-called “renewal” of the historic Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that actually eviscerates several long-standing protections for survivors of domestic violence—particularly immigrant survivors.

04/02/2012

Sexual Assault in the Military

Note to Military: Sexual Assault Includes Rape

By Sandra S. Park, ACLU Women's Rights Project at 5:59pm

The government has turned a blind eye to these crimes has allowed them to continue, imperiling the lives of victims and degrading their service.

American Civil Liberties Union