Today Nottinghamshire police are being criticised by the IPCC for their handling of a domestic abuse turned murder case in 2010. The body of 21 year old Casey Brittle was found last year in New Basford, Nottingham. Mother of one Brittle had suffered severe head injuries at the hands of former partner, 27 year old Sanchez Williams. Nottinghamshire police had responded to 11 calls from Brittle regarding domestic abuse, yet they had not passed on this information to the domestic abuse unit.
Sometimes I am asked what feminism is, or I’m informed it’s not needed now, it’s no longer relevant. It seems rather churlish to bring up the subject of domestic abuse with someone you’ve just met at a party; we all know feminists are hairy killjoys already. So I am always full of admiration for those who bring the subject of domestic abuse (I realise women are not the exclusive victim) to the forefront.
Sometimes I am asked what feminism is, or I’m informed it’s not needed now, it’s no longer relevant. It seems rather churlish to bring up the subject of domestic abuse with someone you’ve just met at a party; we all know feminists are hairy killjoys already. So I am always full of admiration for those who bring the subject of domestic abuse (I realise women are not the exclusive victim) to the forefront.
Filmmaker Olivia Klaus is one of these people. Sin by Silence is Klaus’s directorial debut featuring victims of domestic violence who killed their partner. It addresses the difficulty in who we blame, who answers to the law in these situations.
“Sin by Silence is a gateway into the lives of women who are domestic violence's living, worst-case scenarios. Some of these women have killed their abusers and are now trapped behind bars…Through their stories of terror and hope, the viewer can begin to understand the cycle of violence, the signs of an abuser, and how each and every one of us is responsible for changing the tragedy of domestic violence.”
Focusing on the American group Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), formed by Brenda Clubine in the high security California Institute for Women. Sin by Silence not only allows these women to tell their stories but by these women’s different ages, education and so on, shows just how domestic violence can happen to anybody. The film shows the mother who couldn’t leave her 3 children, the pastor’s wife and Clubine’s story among others.
Domestic violence flourishes in the darkness of imposed secrecy. Klaus and Clubine through the CWAA and Sin by Silence are bringing these women out into the light
Squeamish Kate
“Sin by Silence is a gateway into the lives of women who are domestic violence's living, worst-case scenarios. Some of these women have killed their abusers and are now trapped behind bars…Through their stories of terror and hope, the viewer can begin to understand the cycle of violence, the signs of an abuser, and how each and every one of us is responsible for changing the tragedy of domestic violence.”
Focusing on the American group Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), formed by Brenda Clubine in the high security California Institute for Women. Sin by Silence not only allows these women to tell their stories but by these women’s different ages, education and so on, shows just how domestic violence can happen to anybody. The film shows the mother who couldn’t leave her 3 children, the pastor’s wife and Clubine’s story among others.
Domestic violence flourishes in the darkness of imposed secrecy. Klaus and Clubine through the CWAA and Sin by Silence are bringing these women out into the light
Squeamish Kate
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