Angelina Jolie advocates for U.S. domestic violence law

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday agreed on a deal to renew a long-lapsed law to strengthen domestic violence protections, just hours after Hollywood actor and humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a tearful speech of support.

Jolie's voice broke as she acknowledged the women and children "for whom this legislation comes too late" in a speech in Washington D.C.

"Standing here at the center of our nation's power, I can think only of everyone who has been made to feel powerless by their abusers by a system that failed to protect them," Jolie, wearing a black suit and pearls, said.

The Violence Against Women Act expired at the end of 2018 and U.S. President Joe Biden, who originally sponsored the bill as a senator in 1994, had campaigned on renewing it.

The House of Representatives approved its renewal in a 244-172 vote almost a year ago, but legislation stalled in Congress amid partisan disputes over access to guns and transgender issues.

"The reason many people struggle to leave abusive situations is that they have been made to feel worthless. When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness," said Jolie. "You think, I guess my abuser is right. I guess I'm not worth very much."

Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein issued a joint media release confirming they had reached a "compromise" deal to get the bill moving.

Biden said in a statement he was "grateful that this critical bipartisan bill is moving forward, and I look forward to Congress delivering it to my desk without delay."

-reuters-

Hospital radiologists can help detect domestic violence, researchers say

NEW YORK - Radiologists, who typically interact little with patients, can play a key role in identifying victims of abuse by spotting patterns of injuries that point to domestic violence, researchers said on Tuesday.

Abuse victims, most often women, have more face, skull and arm fractures than other patients, combined with high rates of asthma, chronic pain and suicide attempts, a team at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reported.

The signs of abuse can be detected by radiologists, who specialize in interpreting images such as X-rays, given that such victims undergo four times more emergency-related imaging exams than other patients, the researchers said.

The abuse can be physical, sexual and psychological, they said.

"There's a wealth of information that's available to us as radiologists," said Dr. Elizabeth George, chief resident in the department of radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a lead researcher of the report.

"There might be indications on the prior imaging, and if you see a pattern, that could alert you to something else going on in this case, such as violence."

The World Health Organization reports that one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.

The Violence Policy Center, a research and advocacy group focused on gun violence, reported that more than half the women murdered in the United States last year were killed by current or former romantic partners.

Signs of abuse can be easily missed in a busy hospital emergency department, George said.

The researchers also said hospital records may not identify or report certain injuries as abuse.

"Survivors need someone there who knows what's happening," said Ruth Glenn, head of the Colorado-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"That alone can plant the seed to find safety. The medical field is perfectly set up to do this."

Turning the findings into action to help victims will require a coordinated effort among radiologists, social workers, emergency room doctors and others, George told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

More than 96 percent of U.S. victims of violence at the hands of an intimate partner are women, and the highest rates occur among black and Hispanic women, according to the report, published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

(Reporting by Kate Ryan; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate chenge. Visit www.trust.org)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Former Giants player Brown banned six more games

NEW YORK - The National Football League slapped American Josh Brown with an additional six-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy due to domestic violence accusations, the US media reported on Friday.

The former New York Giant kicker served a one-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season after domestic violence allegations were made by his ex-wife.

"We reopened the investigation based on new info," the NFL said in a text to American sports broadcaster ESPN.


"Concluded there was a violation of our personal conduct policy and imposed six-game suspension, which he accepted without appeal."

The new ban is mostly a procedural move since the 38-year-old Brown hasn't kicked in the NFL since the Giants cut him loose in October.

Brown is expected to begin serving the six-game suspension immediately even though he remains unsigned.

Brown was placed on the exempt list in October when the NFL decided to launch a further investigation into his May 2015 arrest for alleged domestic violence. The Giants cut Brown four days after he was put on the exempt list

Brown was never charged by police.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Clippers rookie arrested on domestic violence charges

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Branden Dawson was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of felony domestic violence for spousal abuse and could face a suspension by the NBA if convicted.

The 23-year-old American was not on the bench when the Clippers tipped off against Cleveland at Staples Center for a Sunday afternoon contest.

Police said Dawson was arrested at 7:30 a.m. and was being held on $50,000 bail.

The Clippers acquired Dawson last year in an NBA Draft-night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, who selected him 56th in the annual allocation of collegiate talent. He averaged 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds while playing for the Clippers in the off-season Summer League.

Dawson was activated Saturday and had played for the Clippers in three games earlier this season.

NBA rules on domestic violence could see Dawson banned for a minimum of 10 games if he is convicted.

The Clippers, off to a 42-22 start, rank fourth in the Western Conference.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chris Brown ends probation for 2009 Rihanna attack

LOS ANGELES, United States - R&B star Chris Brown celebrated Friday after a US judge released him from probation for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

The infamous attack left the female pop singer battered and bruised on the eve of the Grammys that year.

"IM OFF PROBATION!!!!!!! Thank the Lord!!!!!" Brown posted on his Twitter page shortly after the court hearing in Los Angeles, where Brown beamed as it was announced that he had fulfilled all his probation conditions.

LA Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said the 25-year-old had completed his roughly 1,000 hours of community labor, along with all other terms of his probation, including attending a domestic violence treatment program.

In June 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, who suffered facial injuries and was forced to cancel an appearance at that year's Grammy Awards.

Brown was sentenced to five years' probation, a yearlong domestic violence program and 180 days of community labor.

His probation was first revoked in 2013, after he was charged over a traffic accident in Los Angeles. Those charges were later dismissed, but he was ordered to perform an additional 1,000 hours of community labor.

It was revoked again last year, after he was accused of punching a 20-year-old man who was trying to get a photo with him in Washington. Brown's probation was later reinstated.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Abused husbands also need help, SC justice says

MANILA - Men can also be victims of domestic violence committed by their wives or partner, a Supreme Court associate justice said.

However, this should not be reason for the high tribunal to declare invalid the law on violence against women and children, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said.

Leonen, in a concurring opinion with a Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of Republic Act 9262, said domestic violence is a power and not a gender issue.


"Portraying only women as victims will not always promote gender equality before the law," he said. "In some cases, men as human beings can also become victims."

Leonen cited 3 cases handled by the Quezon City Police District Crime Laboratory wherein men complained of spousal abuse, as well as another study involving abused of 6 Filipino husbands.

"Four out of the six participants admitted that their spouses’ abusive behavior would initially start with verbal attacks and put-downs then would shift to physical abuse as their verbal tussle intensified," he said, quoting the study on abused men.

"The constant threats, in the long term, affected the emotional and psychological well being of the participants," he added.

One of the victims mentioned a "flying monobloc chair" that hit him "right on the nose."

Another said he had to go to a doctor on his own to have his injuries treated.

Another sustained a wide and deep knife wound that needed "some stiches."

"JL had to contend with the long scratches in his chest and back. RE almost lost an eye when he was hit with a straight punch of the spouse. JL, RE, and DL would lie to colleagues to avoid being laughed at. DL had to be absent from his work after being hit by a flying de lata (canned good) thrown at him during a fight," Leonen said.

"Emotional abuse co-existed with verbal and/or physical abuse. The participants who were recipients of physical abuse were also emotionally abused when they became susceptible to stress and threats of the abuser," he added.

Leonen explained that social and cultural expectations on masculinity and male dominance urge men to keep quiet about being a victim.

"This leads to latent depression among boys and men. In a sense, patriarchy while privileging men, also victimizes them," he said.

Leonen, in his concurring opinion on upholding RA 9262, said abused men also need protection under the Constitution and the country's laws.

"We should be open to realities which may challenge the dominant conception that violence in intimate relationships only happens to women and children," he said.

"This may be predominantly true, but even those in marginal cases deserve fundamental constitutional and statutory protection.

Leonen said that cases of men being victims of abuse should not be reason to reject the constitutionality of RA 9262.

Doing so would mean removing the protection afforded to women, he said, adding that it will only result in "an even worse state of laws where none is protected from intimate violence."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Daiana Menezes' partner breaks silence on 'abuse'

MANILA, Philippines -- Outgoing Cagayan de Oro Rep. Benjamin Benaldo admitted "differences" with his partner, model Daiana Menezes, amid speculations about the Brazilian beauty's controversial messages of "domestic violence" early this week.

Benaldo, with "the consent of [his] partner," issued a statement Thursday to address the "issues that have recently come out."

"Like any couple, Daiana and I encounter problems. We try to resolve them privately. I have apologized to her and she has accepted," the congressman said.

He added: "On behalf of Daiana's actions on social media (Twitter, Instagram), we seek the understanding of everyone regarding her posts on her advocacies seeking help and support."

The lawmaker is referring to Menezes' controversial posts on the social networking sites early this week. The 25-year-old shared a series of images pertaining to violence against women, including ones showing the words "No to rape," "Real Men Don't use Violence," and "There is no excuse for abuse."

Another photo on Menezes' Instagram page showed an arm bleeding from cuts and wounds.

On Tuesday, a source disclosed to ABS-CBN News that Menezes, through a representative, has already raised her "situation" to a women's rights group.

In his statement, Benaldo said that he "[believes] that any woman, any foreigner (woman) who might be facing a situation worse than ours must find an avenue for the redress of her grievances in our country."

The congressman, however, did not give further details about the mentioned "situation" with his partner.

Benaldo likewise confirmed ABS-CBN News' earlier report that he and Menezes were married in December 2012.

"Daiana and I got married civilly in Las Vegas. Since then, we have been preparing for the big religious ceremony as we previously announced," he said.

Maintaining that they are still a couple, Benaldo said he and Menezes were able "settled our differences today."

"We are together out of love. We fought because of love. She has forgiven me because she truly loves me. I am truly blessed," he said.

He added: "We thank our friends & relatives for their patience and support. We thank everyone for respecting our privacy."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com