Court Decides Abused Men and Their Children Will Not be Bullied
On January 26, in the case of Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men et al v Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Docket # CV-04-186, the Maine Superior Court in Penobscot County denied Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence's motion to dismiss the lawsuit alleging sexual discrimination brought against them by the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and "John Doe," a male victim of domestic violence. The lawsuit filed in August 2004 alleges MCEDV engages in sexual discrimination against men and their children under current policies and practices of the organization.
(PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- On January 26, the Maine Superior Court in Penobscot County denied Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence's motion to dismiss the lawsuit alleging sexual discrimination brought against them by the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and "John Doe," a male victim of domestic violence. The lawsuit filed in August 2004 alleges MCEDV engages in sexual discrimination against men and their children under current policies and practices of the organization.
MCEDV asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit because Helpline has no gender and therefore can not be discriminated against and John Doe" didn't file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission so his claim should be dismissed also. The Superior Court disagreed and denied the motion to dismiss the matter.
MCEDV refuses to provide the Helpline with an application for membership in the coalition because the primary purpose of the Helpline is to provide relief and resources to men and their children and not only battered women and their children. Member organizations refused to provide relief or services to John Doe" because of his gender.
The Helpline claims this is a common occurrence. Men that seek the assistance of coalition members are turned away because of their gender.
MCEDV is a coalition of member organizations working to educate and empower" victims of domestic abuse and communities. The MCEDV operates using federal and other public funding, and Helpline believes the coalition should be open to all otherwise-qualified agencies without regard to the gender of the victims that seek the agencys assistance. Helpline assists those that current member agencies cannot or will not offer assistance.
"John Doe" charges that MCEDV, through their member organization, denied services to him as a victim of domestic violence based only on his gender. "John Doe" called one of the member programs hotlines for help while in crisis and was denied assistance because he was a male. Had Helpline been allowed membership in MCEDV "John Doe" would have been directed to an organization that would have assisted him and his child to get to safety.
Helpline has been pursuing membership with MCEDV in order to have access to the same funding and networking opportunities given the other nine domestic violence shelter programs in the state of Maine. Their request for application had been repeatedly ignored and then finally rejected, because Helpline serves male victims of domestic violence and their children, and the purpose of the Coalition is to serve women and children.
Kim Roberts, director of the coalition said, "The word ''women'' is in our bylaws. It's not meant to be exclusive but reflect the focus of the people we serve. That doesn't mean it's the only thing [member agencies do."
Yet information on their website reflects something else: "MCEDV advocates on behalf of battered women through policy development and legislative initiatives that support battered women and hold batterers accountable." According to policies of this and the other state coalitions,only women are deserving of help. The MCEDV, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and similar organizations in other states operate under grants provided by the federal Violence Against Women Office.
"Times are changing," says Jan Brown, Founder and Executive Director of DAHM. While it once was reasonable to think only women were in need of help in partner abuse cases, thats no longer true. All victims should be offered the same services, services should be based on need not gender. I'm very pleased to see that the State of Maine is a leader in responding to the changing needs of its citizens, and I hope this will set the tone for changes nationwide."
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