Greetings Amanda ...

Greetings Amanda,

It was wonderful to have someone actually respond to my blog so thank you very much for taking the time to do that. (Would appreciate knowing how you came to find out about this online resource/blog.)

Yes, it was great to get a response to my letters, unfortunately that has not resulted in any response from those would could assist and protect Australian children and women trapped overseas by domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse - our government still ignores us - apparently "judicial fairness" is not considered necessary and worth demanding as the government insisted for David Hicks, and although Federal Police and Department of Foreign Affairs officers have already travelled Africa to assist the recently kidnapped journalist - there is no such assistance for Australian children and women.


Despite having shared this information with many parts of the “domestic violence industry” and people who claim to care about children and women’s human rights and right to safety and security as you can easily see I get very very few comments or people sharing this information to inform and protect children and women.

You raise some interesting questions and concerns. Unfortunately it is not as easy and supported as it should be for children and women to escape domestic violence, and when a woman takes her children and leaves a situation of domestic violence this does not necessarily end the abuse or guarantee her and her children the safety and support they need and deserve. Three children recently murdered by their abusive father in New South Wales exemplifies the threats and real dangers facing children and women trying to escape domestic violence. If our society, services, systems and politicians do not hold the abuser accountable and protect innocent and vulnerable children and women how can we expect an abused mother to do that on her own?

If a woman is in a position where her abusive former spouse had attempted to kill her, threatened to kill or told her he will do whatever he needs to to take her children away from her and make sure she never sees them again then she is always afraid of what he might do if she tries to have contact with her children in his control. If a woman is in the position where some of her children are “of the age of majority” but some are still with the abusive father then she will have concerns about the younger ones safety if she is able to develop a relationship with her older children. Many people understand the dangers and difficulties facing adult women trying to leave an abusive relationship but somehow think it would be easier for the abusers children to leave, to say to this person I am not going to let you control or threaten me anymore.

We are all familiar will the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. That same “village” needs to take collective responsibility for children’s and their mothers safety, security and support when they are the victims of domestic violence in a family in their “village”. I don’t know if you heard about Colin/Colette the baby hump-backed whale in Sydney – but is amazed me the efforts people and the government went to for this baby whale and the outrage that some expressed when it couldn’t be saved. If people were as publicly outraged about the plight of some human babies and children, about mothers that desperately want to nurture, care for, protect and parent their children but are prevented from doing so by abusive spouses and abusive systems where no one comes to protest and the media ignores them, children and women would be safer and our service providers and agencies saved a lot of unnecessary expense.

Once again Amanda, thank for taking the time and interest to respond to the information in this blog and please share the information and resources with anyone you think it will benefit and protect, or who genuinely cares about children and women’s right to safety and security.

Take care … take heart … Merinda