MUAVI

A1: Given the focus on moms as the ultra-culpable parent + white supremacist ideas that deny victimhood, it’s not suprising that in some cases, only mom is charged, as if her abuser’s actions are entirely her responsibility #FTP #FreeJoy

Q2: What is the relationship between child abuse and intimate-partner violence? #FTP

A:2 Mothers are three times more likely to experience domestic violence than women without children (Mirlees-Black 1999). #FTP

A2: Mothers are abused as mothers. Abusers use children and abuse of children to exert power and control over them. #FTP

Q3: In prosecuting survivors for acts of self-defense, and also for alleged inaction, how do courts further normalize gender violence and continue the victimization of survivors, adults & kids? #FTP

A3: When courts prosecute moms for violence they & their kids suffered, they’re asserting a version of the victim-blaming adage, “why didn’t you just stay away from (him)?”, as if abusers are entitled to their violence. #FTP

A3: Courts ignore the fact that moms may have nowhere safe to go, and that leaving, esp w/o a well supported safery plan, can be the most dangerous time for moms & kids, as abusers may escalate their violence very quickly to assert control. #FTP

A3: An abuser’s ability to control their victims can grow during legal proceedings, through threats of increased violence, threats that kids will be taken from mom, undermining survivors so they appear unreliable to the courts #FTP

A3: If courts or court services treat mom survivors as victims at all, it’s as victims of themselves, through an ableist lens, & demand the right to continue control through incarceration, EM or other forms of surveillance. #FTP

A3: Punitive punishment is a form of gender violence in that ciswomen are forced into hegemonic ideals of femininity & motherhood. #FTP

A3: We have to ask if trans and GNC folks are can access parental rights period, because they don't fit in an o/repressive heteropatriarchal system. #FTP

A3: Survivors are often denied an affirmative defense, and often are denied the right to present evidence of the abuse. Mitigation positions trauma & lack of agency as a survivor’s only chance for a better legal outcome #FTP

Q4: What are ways *systems* fail to protect/support/honor survival of primary caregivers and kids? #FTP

A4: The state fails to protect the right to safe housing, healthcare and punishes poor mothers, esp poor mothers of color by identifying poverty as neglect/abuse. #FTP

A4: The act of seeking assistance of any kind, including food or medical cards, can actually trigger a child abuse/neglect risk assessment via child protection agencies, discouraging mothers from seeking help at all #FTP

A4: DV advocacy is too often limited for survivors who have felony records, e.g shelters may deny access to survivors who have a survival related battery charge. #FTP

A4: FTP statutes rely on the unsubstantiated belief that all kids exposed to DV require state intervention, e.g. removal. Dear of CPS involvement may decrease disclosure of violence & reduce the number of survivors seeking assistance #FTP

A4: Founded on/regulated by the norms of white supremacist, ableist hetero-partriarchy, the state never intended to support or honor mothers of color, poor moms, trans and GNC parents, moms w/ disability. #FTP

Q5: What are some examples of FTP cases or defense campaigns in support of moms charged or convicted for the harm done to their children by another? How can people support? #FTP

A5: BuzzFeed found 73 cases of moms who, regardless of whether they were battered, were sentenced to 10 years or more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexcampbell/these-mothers-were-sentenced-to-at-least-10-years-for-failin … #FTP

But, there are many more cases, harder if not impossible to track for data purposes, of moms charged under the theory of failure to protect, grieving loss & separation from their kids (kids grieving too), sentenced for years to life. #FTP

A5: Shantonio’s abuser harmed her son, minimized the harm he had done and kept her from calling for help. She could only try to care for and comfort her son as he lay dying. You can support post-conviction relief efforts for Shantonio by donating to her legal fund. #FreeShantonio

A5: Joy Ramos is a young mom, abuse survivor, who returned home one day to find her son, home w/ her boyfriend, unresponsive. She rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Later, she alone was charged w/ murder #FTP #FreeJoy