One brave woman declaring it’s not fair and she’s not going to take it anymore has sent ripples through the state and nation, putting a spotlight on the plight of domestic violence survivors who, for the most part, carry their burdens in silence.
Thank you, Carie Charlesworth, for speaking up.
A second-grade teacher at a private school in San Diego and the mother of four children, Carie lost her job because school officials feared her ex-husband’s menacing behavior put students and staff in danger. Her kids, all students at the school, were asked to leave as well.
It is outrageous that victims of domestic violence are punished for the behavior of their abusers. At their time of greatest need, Carie and her children were ostracized and made to feel they were the criminals.
This situation is not unique. A 2011 study by the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center’s Project Survive found that nearly 40 percent of survivors in California reported either being fired or fearing termination due to domestic violence. There ought to be a law, but there isn’t. Yet.
Carie’s dismissal made national headlines, and last week she testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in support of state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s SB 400. The bill would not only prevent employers from firing victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, but it also would require companies to make efforts to protect them. SB 400 passed the committee by a 6-1 vote.
Employers and communities need to surround victims with support and protection. Additional safety planning or moving Carie and her children to another school might have been a solution, albeit one with some cost and effort on the part of the employer.
Sadly, Carie’s situation is the tip of a very big iceberg. Coincidentally, when the World Health Organization released the first major global review of violence against women last week, domestic violence was declared a health problem of epidemic proportions. Nearly 40 percent of women killed around the world are slain by a former or current intimate partner.
To be sure, the highest rates of violence are in regions where domestic violence is not deemed illegal, including many parts of Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. But, as we see with the Carie Charlesworth situation, laws alone are not sufficient to break the cycle of violence or bring adequate attention to the issue and support to the victims.
We need more outrage. We need to actively support women who have the courage to break free of abusive relationships. We need to resist the urge to turn our heads — or to conclude that her safety and well-being, as well as that of her children, are hers alone to confront and resolve. As individuals, we need to actively support, through volunteer service and financial contributions, organizations that help victims. We need to applaud companies that do the same for their employees and their communities.
The WHO findings are shocking and sobering. Lest we think otherwise, this is our epidemic. We are not immune. We are accountable. As overwhelming as the problem may seem, we can make a difference if we open our eyes and our hearts and, yes, our pocketbooks. Let’s support the Carie Charlesworths of the world. Let’s do something about it.
Doug Lowell, who has three daughters, serves on the board of Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence (www.nextdoor.org) and is a director of workplace resources at Cisco Systems. He wrote this for this newspaper.
