The County of San Diego (California) is in the process of adopting a CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) ordinance, to address discrimination against women and girls in different areas of life (for example, employment, health, criminal legal system). The San Diego Commission for the Status for Women and Girls will be finalizing their draft by Monday, April 11th, in order to add it to the Board of Supervisors’ docket, to be considered for adoption at the supervisor’s April 26th meeting.
Call-to-Action (By Monday, April 11, 2022):
Contact the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the Chief Administrative Office (CAO) and tell them they must add “Family Courts” to the areas of concern in San Diego CEDAW, specifically applying the CEDAW position on intimate partner violence against women in the determination of child custody, protections against gender-bias and all forms of Post-Separation Abuse including Vexatious Litigation/Litigation Abuse/Legal Abuse and all forms of Coercive Control throughout the San Diego Family Court system.
Call-to-Action (By Monday, April 11, 2022):
Contact the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the Chief Administrative Office (CAO) and tell them they must add “Family Courts” to the areas of concern in San Diego CEDAW, specifically applying the CEDAW position on intimate partner violence against women in the determination of child custody, protections against gender-bias and all forms of Post-Separation Abuse including Vexatious Litigation/Litigation Abuse/Legal Abuse and all forms of Coercive Control throughout the San Diego Family Court system.
Tweet:
The @SanDiegoCounty BOS & CAO must add FAMILY COURT to #SanDiego #CEDAW + provisions #CoerciveControl #PostSeparationAbuse & #VexatiousLitigation. @JoelAndersonCA @SupLawsonRemer @SupNoraVargas @SupFletcher @jim_desmond @sdut Recommendations → https://bit.ly/sandiegocedaw
Instagram:
Dear @countyofsandiego Board of Supervisors & CAO: Make #SanDiego #CEDAW a model for cities across California and the U.S. You must add FAMILY COURT to the AREAS OF CONCERN and corresponding provisions including CEDAW position on intimate partner violence against women in determination of custody. Detailed Recommendations and calls to action → www.nationalsafeparents.org
“#Genderbias against women in such contexts is prevalent as women subjected to intimate partner violence are at higher risk of negative custody-visitation outcomes." — @un #humanrights
@suplawsonremer @joelandersonca @supervisorjimdesmond @noravargassd@gavinnewsom @jennifersiebelnewsom @cagovernor
Call & Email:
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Chief Administrative Office (CAO)
The @SanDiegoCounty BOS & CAO must add FAMILY COURT to #SanDiego #CEDAW + provisions #CoerciveControl #PostSeparationAbuse & #VexatiousLitigation. @JoelAndersonCA @SupLawsonRemer @SupNoraVargas @SupFletcher @jim_desmond @sdut Recommendations → https://bit.ly/sandiegocedaw
Instagram:
Dear @countyofsandiego Board of Supervisors & CAO: Make #SanDiego #CEDAW a model for cities across California and the U.S. You must add FAMILY COURT to the AREAS OF CONCERN and corresponding provisions including CEDAW position on intimate partner violence against women in determination of custody. Detailed Recommendations and calls to action → www.nationalsafeparents.org
“#Genderbias against women in such contexts is prevalent as women subjected to intimate partner violence are at higher risk of negative custody-visitation outcomes." — @un #humanrights
@suplawsonremer @joelandersonca @supervisorjimdesmond @noravargassd@gavinnewsom @jennifersiebelnewsom @cagovernor
Call & Email:
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Chief Administrative Office (CAO)
Specific Requests for the San Diego BOS and CAO:
Request additions to Section 2: “Local Principles:
- The County shall add San Diego County Family Court System to your areas of concern, specifically applying the CEDAW position on intimate partner violence against women in the determination of child custody, protections against gender-bias and all forms of Post-Separation Abuse including Vexatious Litigation (aka Litigation Abuse/Legal Abuse) and all forms of Coercive Control.
- The County will spread awareness/training of all County staff and take steps to ensure better protections against “Post-Separation Abuse” including, Vexatious Litigation (aka Litigation Abuse/Legal Abuse) and the devastating impacts this has on the financial, emotional, mental and physical health of women across San Diego, the state of California, throughout the U.S. and world and improvements that can be made to better protect women and children.
- The County shall deliver services that are gender-responsive and trauma-informed designed to address those issues faced by women and children affected by the Family Court system; The County will spread awareness/training of all County Staff and take steps to ensure better protections against the systemic gender bias against mothers that currently exists in the San Diego Family Court System (and throughout California), particularly against mothers who report abuse. (See Complaint from National Safe Parents Coalition Members to the UN Commission on the Status of Women from California-based Organizations Custody Peace (San Diego), One Mom’s Battle (San Luis Obispo) and Movement of Mothers (Los Angeles) Submitted to the United Nations on August 1, 2021)
- San Diego County must utilize an independent oversight body such as the San Diego Commission on the Status of Women and Girls or a "Gender Equity Commission" to ensure equitable implementation, monitoring and advising.
CEDAW Position on Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the Determination of Child Custody
Source: UN Human Rights www.ohchr.org
The Platform members hold the view that abusive relationships between parents predominantly affect women and have direct impacts on the children’s life, yet violence against women is rarely considered as relevant factor by national authorities in child custody decisions. There is also no doubt that intimate partner violence predominantly affects women, and yet the correlation between domestic violence against women and child abuse is most often underestimated by practitioners and courts. Gender bias against women in such contexts is prevalent as women subjected to intimate partner violence are at higher risk of negative custody-visitation outcomes. Moreover, discriminatory gender bias often leads to mistrust women, in particular concerning presumed false allegations of child abuse and domestic violence.
In this regard, the experts stressed that a holistic and coordinated approach based on the existing international and regional standards must be applied not only to uphold the principle of the best interest of the child but also the principle of equality between women and men. This approach is confirmed by jurisprudence of various international courts, UN treaty bodies and other relevant mechanisms.
The Platform members hold the view that abusive relationships between parents predominantly affect women and have direct impacts on the children’s life, yet violence against women is rarely considered as relevant factor by national authorities in child custody decisions. There is also no doubt that intimate partner violence predominantly affects women, and yet the correlation between domestic violence against women and child abuse is most often underestimated by practitioners and courts. Gender bias against women in such contexts is prevalent as women subjected to intimate partner violence are at higher risk of negative custody-visitation outcomes. Moreover, discriminatory gender bias often leads to mistrust women, in particular concerning presumed false allegations of child abuse and domestic violence.
In this regard, the experts stressed that a holistic and coordinated approach based on the existing international and regional standards must be applied not only to uphold the principle of the best interest of the child but also the principle of equality between women and men. This approach is confirmed by jurisprudence of various international courts, UN treaty bodies and other relevant mechanisms.