You can make a difference ... don't keep the secret ... share this information!!!

Greetings, We are all aware that there is soon to be a Federal election ... what you may not be aware of is that Friday, 26th of July, was White Ribbon Day! White Ribbon Day is a day for raising awareness of and hopefully decreasing male violence against children and women. I am contacting you in the belief that you too have "zero tolerance of violence against women and children" and am encouraging, inviting and challenging you to share the following information with everyone you know in the hope of raising awareness of and bringing into immediate public and political discourse the gap between the public rhetoric and the private reality of women and children's lived experience of domestic violence. The information that I am requesting be shared as widely and rapidly as possible is a new facebook page "Domestic Violence Despair" which has links to an informational blog www.dv-despair.blogspot.com.au We can all be part of making a difference by sharing this information, we can all choose not to condone, collude with and cover-up violence against children and women by choosing not to keep the secret of these issues of domestic violence and injustice. As Ghandi said "We must be the change we want to see in the world". Thank you for doing your part to show care and compassion for innocent and vulnerable children and women and to speak up for children and women's rights to justice, judicial fairness and human rights in the face of domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse by sharing this information. Take care ... take heart ... “Merinda”

Begging our Foreign Minister for assistance for Australian mothers and children ... no response!

Greetings, Please find/read following communication sent to our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr. Senator Carr had made many public statements in the last few months in regards to the advocacy work he and his department have done for and on behalf of Australian citizens in challenging circumstances with justice systems overseas. Senator Carr has publicly stated the government’s commitment to ensuring “due process” for Australian citizens “in a timely manner” in dealings with foreign justice systems. Unfortunately this advocacy, care and concern does not appear to extend to Australian mothers and their children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse, discrimination, inadequacies and inequities overseas. The following communication with Senator Carr has not been responded to. If you and anyone you know believes in “zero tolerance of violence against women and children” than please share this information as widely as possible. Innocent and vulnerable Australian children and women desperately need people to speak up, raise these issue publicly and question why these innocent and vulnerable Australian citizens are ignored and the violence, abuse and injustice they have experienced is condoned, colluded with and cover-up by those choosing to keep these issues secret! Take care … take heart … Merinda From: ….. To: foreignminister.carr@dfat.gov.au Subject: Re Australian mothers and children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse overseas Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:57:29 +1100 Senator Bob Carr Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade ForeignMinister.Carr@dfat.gov.au Dear Sir, Your staff person, Rebecca, whom I was speaking with Friday 22nd March 2013, after 4pm provided me with this email address to contact you. The issue I wish to bring to your immediate attention and beg for immediate investigation, advocacy, resources, care and compassion is that of my and my three children’s experience (as Australian citizens by birth and descent) of domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse, discrimination, inadequacies and inequities in a foreign country who have been denied the advocacy, support, resources and intervention provided by the government and your department for other Australian citizens in challenging circumstances overseas such as Douglas Woods, David Hicks, Anita Smoel, the “Bali Nine”, Schapelle Corby, Angelita Pires, whale hunt protestors, charged paedophiles, seal hunt protestors, New South Wales teenager arrested in Bali for drug purchases and many others. When asked, Rebecca informed me not to expect a reply for 2 to 3 weeks. I endeavoured to make it clear to Rebecca the urgency of issues I am begging to be dealt with. In consideration of the information provided, the immediate assistance provided to other Australian’s overseas, recent government media releases re 57th UN Commission on the Status of Women, recently proposed media reforms based on public interest and the public’s right to information and the fact that for more than 13 years I have been begging for assistance for my children, myself and other Australian mother’s and their children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse, discrimination, inadequacies and inequities overseas, I am begging for your immediate response, support, advocacy, intervention, care, concern and compassion. Even Australian cattle mistreated in Indonesia have been shown more care, compassion and concern for their right to be treated humanely and have been advocated for by the Australian government in a way my children, myself and other Australian women and their children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse have not been assisted and protected. Not only has the trauma, abuse and unethical, dishonest and illegal behaviour we have experienced contributed to my eldest child attempting suicide, I have been so traumatised by this experience of violence, abuse, lack of support and illegal destruction of my relationship with my children that I struggle on a daily basis to find meaning and purpose and a reason to survive myself. I urge you to consider the following: Prof Peter Jaffe, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada, told me he believed I had done more than any other mother he knew to try and protect my children (See attached report from Prof Jaffe) Prof Tony Vinson, who has reviewed some of the relevant material and letters, believes this situation should be immediately investigated. (See attached letter of support) The personal domestic advocacy work I have done in …., Canada to protect and prevent others from a similar traumatic experience, despite the personal dangers and lack of support or resources. (See attached references) Betty-Ann Potruff, Executive Director Policy Planning and Evaluation, ….. Justice, informed me “What happened to you should never have happened to anyone”. But when I convened meetings between Ms Potruff, Barbara Hookenson, Family Law Court and professionals concerned about my children’s and my safety who had been misrepresented by the Justice Department employee, Jeff Cain, in court, Ms Potruff used all of her and her government department’s power and resources to cover-up the facts and ignore the substantial evidence that Jeff Cain had deliberately misrepresented evidence in court from professionals such as a doctor, social worker, counsellor, pre-school teacher and others, as well as myself, about the domestic violence my children had witnessed and I had experienced to deny us the safety, security, justice and human rights we needed and deserved and ..... Justice policies, rules, regulations and laws should have provided us. (Please see attached small sample of letters from individuals and organisations such as …. Battered Women’s Advocacy Network, …. Action Committee on the Status of Women, Family Service Bureau …., forwarded to ….. Justice regarding our situation.) Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd MP (as former Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Kate Ellis MP (as former Minister for the Status of Women) were all involved in the last years creation of a widely publicised advocacy position, that of Australian Global Ambassador for Women and Girls. Department of Foreign Affairs employee Penny Williams was appointed to this position. (Please refer to your government’s media releases.) Interdepartmental communication and cooperation is obviously possible on behalf of foreign women and girls in overseas countries to advocate for their protection from domestic violence, just not for Australian women and girls! Ms Gillard, Mr Rudd (as both former Prime Minister and former Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Penny Williams have all ignored the information I have forwarded them in regards to the traumatic experience of domestic violence and subsequent injustice my children and I and other Australian women and their children have experienced in Canada and possibly many other countries. This information and my requests for assistance and support have been continuously ignored. Ms Ellis MP, although supporting the appointment of a Global Ambassador for Women and Girls in other countries with a primary focus on domestic violence, does not believe Australian women and their children (whether girls or boys) deserve any of this advocacy, safety or support, but instead chooses to keep the secret of this form of abuse and injustice against Australian women and their children overseas, thereby failing to inform and protect Australian women. Ms Ellis recommends counselling as a suitable alternative to advocacy, justice, judicial fairness, human rights, safety and security for my children and myself. (See Ms Ellis’s attached response to my letter begging for her support and assistance.) Prime Minister Julia Gillard was prepared to phone her Indonesian counterpart to advocate for and intervene on behalf of a New South Wales teenager arrested for breaking the law by buying drugs in Bali, but Ms Gillard has ignored my communication begging for similar support and assistance for my children, myself and other Australian women and children who have not committed a crime but are victims of the crime of domestic violence. When Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd MP, ignored my letters begging for the assistance he had so readily provided to David Hicks, Annise Smoel and many others. When Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd defended the lack of statistics keeping in regards to these issues despite the department knowing of my experience for more than 13 years, and more recently of other Australian mother from Western Australia and her four children who had a similar traumatic experience of domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse in the same Canadian province and an Australian mother in a neighbouring Canadian province who had been so traumatised by domestic violence that she murdered her two sons and attempted suicide. Andrew, a former Department of Foreign Affairs employee, has acknowledged the embedded gender discrimination practised by the department when it will provide assistance for Australian males who commit a crime overseas but contends it cannot “interfere” for us as victims of a crime. Over many years I have provided extensive supporting documentation to a number of federal government departments regarding the reality of jurisprudence and the intractable barriers to holding the …. Justice Department accountable for its employees and systems committing perjury and perverting the course of justice to deny my children and myself and other immigrant women and their children safety, security, justice, judicial fairness and human rights. (See post “Justice & Australian women and children trapped overseas” on this blog. The recent 57th UN Commission on the Status of Women had as its priority theme the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls. (Please see correspondence forwarded to Penny Williams, Australian Global Ambassador, which has been ignored.) Delegates from this and other UN meetings that I have contacted begging for assistance have ignored me. Julie Collins MP, current Minister for the Status of Women has ignored my correspondence and requests for immediate assistance and attention to these issues. Tanya Plibersek MP, former Minister for the Status of Women and Shadow Minister has ignored my many requests to her for immediate assistance. Despite ignoring us Ms Plibersek publicly advocated for justice, judicial fairness and human rights for David Hicks, even when in opposition. Please see attached “Situation Synopsis”. The National Council to Prevent Violence Against Women and Their Children agreed with the government’s request/instruction to not deal with or mention the traumatic reality of our experience, thereby condoning, colluding with and covering-up the domestic violence and subsequent abuse and injustice we experienced. (See copy of letter sent to all members of the Council I had not previously contacted on my blog, www.womenwhowant2gohome.blogspot.com .) Far to frequently I come across information that informs me of the advocacy and support provided for people who are not Australian citizens’ but have been convicted of a crime in Australia. Legal Aid, the Public Interest Legal Clearinghouse (PILCH) and many other public/government funded organisations will advocate for and assist criminal foreign males to stay in Australia but ignore us, refuse to provide us any support or assistance and keep the secret of Australian women and their children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse overseas and cannot get any assistance or advocacy to come home to Australia.) The federal government has recently acknowledged the unethical, dishonest and illegal behaviour and undeserved trauma experienced by mothers who had their children taken from them, the government acknowledges the challenges for immigrant women who experience domestic violence in our country and provides dedicated resources for these women and their children, the government recognises the trauma and injustice of domestic violence against women and girls in other countries – yet the same government ignores and shows no care, concern, compassion for or interest in the traumatic experience of Australian mothers who are immigrants and their children, who are victims of domestic violence and experience unethical, dishonest and illegal behaviour from systems and justice departments in foreign countries that take their children away from them. Therefore, I beg you to immediately investigate my children’s’ and my traumatic experience of domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse, inadequacies, inequities and discrimination in ….., Canada and immediately provide us with the resources, advocacy, intervention, care, compassion and concern provided to others so that we can immediately experience the safety, security, justice, judicial fairness and human rights we needed and deserved more than fifteen years ago. Sincerely, ….. Blog: www.womenwhowant2gohome.blogspot.com.au (now www.dc-despair.blogspot.com.au ) See also educational audio-visual “How Then Shall We Live: A Process for Developing a Plan to Escape Abusive Relationships” at www.stopstoviolence.com see “Resources”. In this audio-visual my eldest child reads from their story about their experience of domestic violence in our family, my words are used by an actress to articulate the experience of immigrant and rural women and I was the “expert by experience” on the project’s committee, having been asked to represent two provincial associations. “It is hardly and ethical act to expect someone to patiently accept an injustice you yourself do not have to endure.” Martin Luther King “The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke “In the midst of putative peace, a writer can, like I did, be unfortunate enough to stumble on a silent war. The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out.” Arundhati Roy

Invitation to be a change agent ....

Greetings, We are all aware that there is soon to be a Federal election ... what you may not be aware of is that Friday, 26th of July, was White Ribbon Day! White Ribbon Day is a day for raising awareness of and hopefully decreasing male violence against children and women. I am contacting you in the belief that you too have "zero tolerance of violence against women and children" and am encouraging, inviting and challenging you to share the following information with everyone you know in the hope of raising awareness of and bringing into immediate public and political discourse the gap between the public rhetoric and the private reality of women and children's lived experience of domestic violence. The information that I am requesting be shared as widely and rapidly as possible is a new facebook page "Domestic Violence Despair" which has links to an informational blog www.dv-despair.blogspot.com.au We can all be part of making a difference by sharing this information, we can all choose not to condone, collude with and cover-up violence against children and women by choosing not to keep the secret of these issues of domestic violence and injustice. As Ghandi said "We must be the change we want to see in the world". Thank you for doing your part to show care and compassion for innocent and vulnerable children and women and to speak up for children and women's rights to justice, judicial fairness and human rights in the face of domestic violence and systemic and judicial abuse by sharing this information. Take care ... take heart ... “Merinda”