RADAR ALERT: Family Law Advocates Need to Counter DV Falsehoods

Department of Justice statistics show domestic violence (DV) in married, intact couples is only 2%. So why do the public and state legislators believe that partner violence is out of control?

Each year the federal government bankrolls the domestic violence industry to the tune of $1 billion. That money is authorized by the Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) and other laws.

Much of that money is awarded to state domestic violence coalitions. In at least three cases – New Hampshire, Maine, and West Virginia – these coalitions have denied membership to organizations that proposed to provide domestic violence services to male victims of domestic violence in spite of Section 40002(b)(8) of VAWA 2005 which states, "Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from receiving benefits and services under this title".

State DV coalitions often sponsor biased training programs to legislators, judges, and the public, falsely claiming that domestic violence is "overwhelmingly" perpetrated by men. (For examples, see RADAR’s Special Report, "Education for Injustice" (.pdf file)

In addition, state DV coalitions have become lobbying organizations. In many states they have successfully pressured legislators to weaken protective order standards and enact all-encompassing definitions of DV. They have also pushed state legislatures to adopt mandatory arrest polices, no-drop prosecution, and primary aggressor laws.

Federally-subsidized state DV advocates have used the domestic violence issue to defeat family law reforms, as well:

• North Dakota’s shared parenting initiative in 2006
• West Virginia’s shared parenting bill in 2008
• New Hampshire’s mutual consent divorce bill in 2008
• Virginia’s bill that would have required evidence and a separate
  finding to restrict a parent’s access to a child in a spousal protective order in 2008

2008 did see one successful attempt to restore fairness and balance to family law. A West Virginia bill was proposed to impose criminal penalties for false accusations of DV and child abuse. The West Virginia bill was recently signed into law, albeit somewhat watered-down from the original version.

It has become clear that family law reform will not succeed until the half-truths and falsehoods of intimate partner violence are addressed.

We encourage persons concerned about family law reform to work together to assure the truth of domestic violence gets out. RADAR has developed a flyer, "It’s Time to Tell the Truth about Domestic Violence"(.pdf file). We encourage persons to share this information with legislators and others in your state, so family law reform becomes a reality.

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Date of RADAR Release: April 14, 2008

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R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://www.mediaradar.org/.