Angelina's VAWA Speech Misses the Mark
Sexism Is the Problem, Not DV or Child Safety Laws
Angelina Jolie spoke at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, urging members of Congress to reauthorize an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
[See below for activism opportunity.]
This re-worked version of VAWA will likely get passed, which is good, but her speech misses the mark in that neither new domestic violence (DV) laws, nor new child safety laws, such as Piqui’s Resolution and Kayden’s Law—championed in her speech—will make a dent in the epidemic of DV victims (and mothers in general) being unable to protect themselves or their children after they escape their abuser.
Why?
Because family court judges don’t have to follow the law. Besides, they don’t even have to violate the law to hand over custody to an abusive father; they can merely deem the mother a liar, alienator, mentally ill, or whatever. Works every time.
The old boys designed the system precisely so men can continue to be empowered over “their” women and children—the bedrock of patriarchy—after women gained the power to divorce and live independently.
In a nutshell: family court judges can do whatever they want.
Judges, both male and female, are rewarded for upholding this male entitlement with promotions, increased status, and other kudos. On the other hand, judges who do not “go along to get along” with the old boys risk being retaliated against and ousted from the bench/bar.
Hence, the problem is systemic sexism, not a lack of DV or child safety laws.
Most of all, I want to acknowledge ... the children who are terrified and suffering at this moment.
Jolie got choked up when talking about child victims of the system—those being harmed presently and those who have aged-out of the system. But she mistakenly points to CPS as the villain instead of family court. CPS is just an ancillary player in contested custody cases, and even in the rare case where they substantiate abuse by a father seeking custody, judges simply minimize or ignore it.
Angelina expresses sorrow for women and children who have have died in the four years since Congress allowed VAWA to expire. But the thing is, most of these murders would probably still have happened, as they were likely not due to lack of resources, training, shelters or rape crisis centers which are what is provided for in VAWA.
No, women and children most often are being murdered because judges deliberately minimize and disregard clear and credible evidence the father is violent or abusive.
Victims of our failed systems are not allowed to be angry. You’re supposed to be calm, patient and ask nicely. But you try staying calm when it’s as if someone is holding your head underwater. Try to stay calm when you’re witnessing someone you love being harmed.
Angelina is referring here to mothers who are rightfully angry and being terrorized by having to hand their children over to an abusive father, while at the same time having to present as calm and rational in front of a judge, who has their children’s fate in his/her hands.
If mothers show emotion, they risk the judge denigrating them and using it as yet another justification for giving custody to the cool, collected father perpetrator. Women face this sickening reality every day in family courts around the world.
ANGELINA’S CUSTODY CASE
The Women’s Coalition has followed Angelina’s battle to maintain primary custody and protect her children since 2016. She lost primary custody recently when a private judge ordered joint custody/equal parenting time. However, she got lucky. She discovered opposing counsel had business interests with the judge and the appellate court tossed out the order.
So Angelina has primary custody now, but Pitt has threatened to keep fighting for equal time. This, despite the fact the children are now all over the age of 12, when they are supposed to have a say where they live and clearly want to live with her. The sad truth is, children do not have a choice. If the father has any status whatsoever, he can usually get custody right up until they become an adult.
SYNOPSIS
The core problem then is not abuse; it is power: the power women have been robbed of ever since patriarchy began, the power to keep and protect their children. This disempowerment is executed and perpetuated by judges within the Family Court system.
New DV and Child Safety laws will not change that.
The proof is in the pudding, as the old saying goes. VAWA has been in full force for decades—until it was temporarily sidelined a few years ago—and there have been plenty of child safety laws in effect during the last decades.
But neither category—DV nor Child Safety laws—has made any difference in the practice of judges disregarding evidence, deeming women liars, and giving custody to abusive fathers. This rampant and entrenched practice remains the main cause, by far, of women and children of all races being physically, sexually and emotionally abused, assaulted and murdered after separation or divorce.
By ending this abhorrent, systemic practice, countless more women and children will be saved than by enacting new laws within the existing, rigged system. The way to end this practice is by demanding a new system in which this judicial entitling of men and disenfranchising of women will not occur, or at least be greatly curtailed.
THE CHILD CUSTODY ACT
Women and children will continue to be assaulted and murdered in epidemic numbers as long as judges have the power to decide custody. The Child Custody Act provides for a new system in which judges’ power is greatly limited.
The Child Custody Act removes contested custody cases, the majority of which involve DV and/or child abuse, from Family Court and places them in a regular civil court with a jury as fact-finder. This severely restricts judges’ power to influence cases and control outcomes. It also prohibits the use of court-appointed experts along with other changes that will help ensure due process.
There will be much resistance to this new system since it goes against the agenda to keep men empowered in their families. Great numbers are needed to go up against the old boy network.
Women must unite as WOMEN, as a class, to gain the numbers and power necessary to demand a new system where we will have the power to keep and protect our children. The Women’s Coalition has been uniting women for this cause and there are tens of thousands of us already.
ACTIVISM
Angelina clearly has good intentions, but is inadvertently using her powerful platform to misinform the public and advocate for ineffective solutions.
Try and get the truth to her by commenting on her Instagram post. If lots of women comment, she may come to realize the truth: that it is systemic sexism, not lack of laws, which is causing the crisis.
EXAMPLE: Thanks Angelina but VAWA & child safety laws won’t keep women and children safe—systemic sexism is the problem so we need a new system! Please consider supporting the Women’s Coalition’s Child Custody Act: WomensCoalition.substack.com
NOTE: If you have not created an Instagram account yet, please consider taking a minute to sign up. Activists need to use every available venue to reach influencers like Angelina.
DOCUMENTING SEXUAL ABUSE CASES
The Women’s Coalition is documenting contested custody cases that involve sexual abuse to support our contention that judges are deliberately disregarding credible evidence. If you reported sexual abuse of your child in Family Court, please take a minute to fill out this form.