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The women in the documentary are members of Battered Women Fighting
Back! a grass-roots organization dedicated to exposing domestic violence
as a critical human rights violation threatening the majority of the
population: women and children. Battered Women Fighting Back! began as
a prison support group for battered women who had killed their abusers, and
with the support of human rights activist, Stacey Kabat, developed into a
community-based task force of over 100 volunteers. Each of these women tells
her own horrific tale of beatings, rape and torture at the hands of her husband
or boyfriend. They talk of being stalked, harassed and threatened with death,
particularly after attempting to leave their abusive partners. They all testify
to the failure of the criminal justice system to protect victims of domestic
violence - from unenforced restraining orders, to reluctant law enforcement
officials, to the courts' refusal to accept the special nature of their
defense. And each woman's frightening account of the cycle of violence
resonates with the stories of battered women everywhere. These women were
forced to defend their lives, and this documentarydocumentary captures the
cruel irony of putting them behind bars once they have finally escaped their
abusers. They have chosen to share their stories, hoping to inspire creative
strategies for ending this violence. Defending Our Livseaims to
educate people about domestic violence and to spur legislative and judicial
reform. It is appropriate for people working on any aspect of this issue,
including general education, legal reform, police training, battered women
advocacy, counseling, prosecution and defense, human rights activism and
community education.
A Cambridge Documentary Film. 30 minutes.
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