The Abuse Problem at Home

The Abuse Problem at Home

  • 58,000 children a year are court ordered into partial or full custody with their abusive parent after their safe, protective parent attempts to protect them through the family court. (The Leadership Council)
  • At least 653 innocent children have been murdered by a divorcing or separating parent in the U.S. in the past decade. (Center for Judicial Excellence)
  • When abuse is reported in custody cases, 60 - 75% of abusers gain custody. In one study, this number goes up to 85% in California. (The Leadership Council and Geraldine B. Stahly)
  • The total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment (including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect) amounts to approximately $124 billion. (The Economic Burden of Child Maltreatment in the United States And Implications for Prevention)
  • The CDC and Kaiser Permanente tracked longitudinal research into “adverse childhood experiences” (the ACEs study) has shown that “children who experience abuse and neglect are also at increased risk for adverse health effects and certain chronic diseases as adults, including heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, liver disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high levels of C-reactive protein.”  
  • The ACE Study also shows many children have a higher risk of addictions, depression, school struggles, anxiety, teenage pregnancy and suicide.
The Challenge

The culture to dismiss abuse continues.  Currently the odds of losing custody for reporting abuse in custody cases is so high, lawyers are advising protective parents to not mention the abuse.  Instead of protecting children, the system forces the dismissal at the cost of losing custody to the abuser.   In the worst cases, protection is not given and the abuser murders the children.

What We Do

We bring the facts forward.  We educate on the truth about how abuse is dismissed, children are placed with abusers, children are being murdered and we work to change laws to protect children.  

What We Can Do Together

The advocates have been spreading the word of the family court crisis.  The accountability for dismissing abuse is low.  We need to work together to ensure there is accountability for our judges, court professionals and lawyers.   It takes everyone coming together to change the culture to dismiss abuse.  There must be accountability and transparency for our court to protect our children.
653
Children Murdered by a Parent in Custody Situations since 2008
58,000
Children per year forced to live with their named abuser
60 to 85%
Odds of losing custody when abuse is reported
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