Our Mission
Our mission is to bring awareness to the issues in our family court system (such as lack of proper training, gender biases, and economic disparities) that negatively influence child custody decisions and to advocate for mandatory training, coercive control laws and other policies that will protect children and domestic violence survivors.
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In addition, we also aim to:
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Advocate for required training (coercive control, trauma informed, domestic abuse) for Judges, GALs, and Attorneys in the family court system
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​Advocate and push for Coercive Control laws in the United States
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Advocate for Virginia and other states to to amend their states's family code so that coercive control will be considered in custody and visitation decisions
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Educate and provide victims of abuse with legal resources
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Provide training and educational resources to family court professionals
The system needs to change
I will no longer be silenced. I am a victim of domestic violence. I hope one day I can call myself a survivor but until the family court system changes and can protect women and children from their abusers, I am a victim along with thousands of others who are forced to co-parent, have lost their parenting rights, or even lost their lives to their abuser.
For the past 14 years, I have been dealing with a narcissistic co-parent who continues to abuse me verbally, emotionally, financially and legally. While I realized he was abusive shortly before my child was born, I have never been able to escape the abuse due to a broken court system. This very system has allowed my abuser to lie, file motion after motion, violate court orders, and portray me as “the abuser” with absolutely zero consequnces for my abuser.
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Every day the family court system miserably fails to protect thousands of women and children from their abusers and even enables abusers by failing to impose consequences for violations of court orders and manipulation of the legal system. I know that I am not the only victim of this broken court system, a system that should have been a lifeline and protected us, our children and our families.
Together, we must no longer be silenced and must fight to advocate for changes in our family court system.
-Change Family Court
Follow us on Instagram at #changefamilycourt
"The consequences of domestic violence and its effects on children are also misunderstood and underestimated by judges, who tend to prioritize and grant contact with fathers."
-Alsalem, R. (2023). Custody, violence against women and children. United Nations.
Our Vision
Our vision is to bring awareness and demand change from our family court system in order to protect, women children and victims of domestic abuse.
"Victims of violence have reported feeling belittled by Judges and legal professionals and of being revictimized by professionals who lack an understanding of the impact and dynamics of domestic violence."
-Alsalem, R. (2023). Custody, violence against women and children. United Nations.