Abuse victims fight back with police reports/courts

If it seems like there are more cases of domestic violence and abuse than ever before, you are right. But there are also more spouses fighting back against their abusers and a tougher crack down on those who violate restraining orders. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods investigated one such case today and spoke with the Women’s Department about the issue.

Carol Wade, Director, Women’s Department
“Recently there has been a number of what we would refer to as high profile cases. Certainly at the Women?s Department we are concerned about the fact that throughout our country within all the different districts we have been seeing an increase in reporting of domestic violence. And the reason I say an increase in reporting is because we are not sure whether or not there is an increase in domestic violence or it’s because people are so much more aware of the problem that they are actually reporting it more.”

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
This is the telephone booth a twenty-three year old woman is believed to have been using around midday on Wednesday when she was allegedly kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend twenty-five year old Micah Thompson. Police say despite the fact the woman had taken out a restraining order against him, Thompson forced the woman inside a blue van as the victim pleaded for her release. Thanks to witnesses, police later found the vehicle. Inside the van were Thompson and the woman. She was shaken and her blouse was torn. Today Thompson was charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and damage to property.

Lorna Wade, Domestic Violence Survivor
“We are asking do not give up. Do not give up and say, I am not going for a restraining order because it’s a waste of time. It’s not a waste of time, go and seek and get that restraining order because it can probably save your life.”

One woman who decided to stop the violence is thirty-six year old Lorna Wade, a survivor of ten years of domestic abuse. Today she is a great support to victims by helping them to build their self-esteem.

Lorna Wade
“I never realised that so many other women have been brutally beaten and they need help but they didn’t know where to come. Because of this support group, we have so many other women that come and we are here for them. Some of them come with different other cases, but most of the time it?s a case of domestic violence.”

The Women’s Department has been concerned about the situation for sometime, but as its director Carol Fonseca strongly believes, it will take community support as well to end all forms of domestic abuse.

Carol Fonseca
“We have been trying to deal with this problem as best as we can. We have started a support group here for women, survivors of domestic violence, and within weeks you will see that we are planning the sixteen days of activism, which is all working up towards International Day to End Violence Against Women. So on November twenty-fifth we start off with a number of activities going to December tenth, which is Human Rights Day. So a number of different activities will be focussing on making people more aware of the issue of domestic violence and also letting people realise that this has to be a community effort. We can’t continue to see domestic violence as an isolated problem. All the different sectors of our society must pitch in and do their part to ensure that we have some solutions to this problem.”

It’s not only women who are talking out against domestic violence. It seems the opposite sex are just as concerned and in November a Men Against Violence Group will be launched. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.

Micah Thompson was scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court today.