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Honoring Real Heroes Who Help Domestic Violence Victims

By Donald P. Schweitzer

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 13Mar2012 Word count: 679 Viewed: 63 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

The politicalization of domestic violence legislation can make anyone feel a little jaded about such a serious and pervasive issue. Fortunately, there are people who have not forgotten that domestic violence is still a societal ill, and who have dedicated their lives to actually helping victims of domestic violence. These individuals have created innovative methods of breaking the cycle of violence.

In recognizing these heroes, I'm not referring to those in Sacramento who churn out new laws like funnel cakes at the state fair. Most of these laws, passed by self-serving politicians, do nothing for victims of domestic violence, as they are redundant and often unenforceable. Nevertheless, these laws continue to pass because no one has the courage to call them what they really are; cheap badges of honor for politicians whose campaign M.O. is to be "tough on crime."

As a family law attorney, however, I have not lost sight of the fact that domestic violence still needs to be fought, as it is committed every minute of every day in this country. I also recognize that domestic violence victims need, more than anything, people who will protect them and assist them in getting out of dysfunctional relationships.

As Chairman of the Pasadena Bar Association, Family Law Section, I wanted to honor "Domestic Violence Awareness" month and recognize the real heroes in the fight against domestic violence. The goal was also to educate my section members of all of the great things that are being done on behalf of victims.

I invited guest speakers to our section meeting who are actually involved in the day-to-day effort to help domestic violence victims. The first speaker we were fortunate to hear from was Sara Rondon. Sara is the coordinator of the Domestic Violence Project, which is located on the first floor of the Pasadena Courthouse. The Domestic Violence Project is a program created and sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Sara and her small staff are in the trenches every day assisting victims in preparing the requisite paperwork to obtain restraining orders. As you can imagine, they see the worst types of cases. Most victims do not understand the legal process and cannot afford legal representation. Thus, without the assistance of Sara and the Domestic Violence Project, these victims would be unable to proceed effectively through the legal process.

Although Sara's staff is quite small, there are a number of paralegals and attorneys who volunteer their time to work with the victims (during the past year one of the paralegals from my office served as a volunteer, which is how I came to meet Sara). An interesting point that Sara made during her presentation, is that studies show that the issuance of restraining orders significantly curtails repeat offenses. It would seem, consequently, that Sara's work is having a meaningful impact against domestic violence.

The second speaker at our section meeting was Trish Steele, who is the founder of "Safe Passages," a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting domestic violence victims. Trish's approach to rescuing domestic violence victims is very innovative, and it goes further than providing temporary shelter. Safe Passages has found a method to get victims back on their feet by giving them a complete "makeover." For example, Trish has recruited numerous doctors and dentists to volunteer their time to perform cosmetic surgery on the many victims who have suffered injuries to the facial area. With a little help from Trish's volunteers, these individuals are able to re-boost their confidence so that they can go out and market themselves for work.

As Trish points out, victims of domestic violence are frequently caught in a cycle of violence because they are financially unable to "get out" of their current circumstances. For this reason, Trish's approach addresses the physical, emotional as well as the financial aspects of rebuilding one's life after leaving an abusive relationship. Trish is constantly looking for professionals willing to volunteer their time and donate resources to victims of domestic violence.

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