Laura-Jeanne’s Journey
When Laura-Jeanne found the courage to leave her abusive marriage, she struggled to make sense of the coercive control and heal from its lasting effects. Leaving was only the first step in a long and painful journey out of abuse and into a peaceful life.
She never wanted to see her abuser again, she wanted to get away and move on with her life. But the reality is, there are logistics when couples and families separate. Her spouse had most of the financial resources and used the process in a way that caused more harm to Laura-Jeanne.
In her 4+ years legal battle, she has seen the evolution in herself: from someone who had no business being in a adversarial process, to a woman learning to stand up for herself, learning more about the legal system and how to best represent herself, and then being an advocate.
Her mission is to help create an alternate process to stop abusers using the system to their advantage. Laura-Jeanne continues to advocate for change in the legal process to make it easier for survivors of coercive control and domestic violence to walk away with resources, be able to protect their children when needed, and live their life without further control.
“Survivors of abuse are rarely adversarial, we don’t want a fight, we want to get away and live in peace.”
Advocating Change
An adversarial legal system, like the current Family Court, isn’t appropriate for survivors of coercive control and family violence.
Survivors of coercive control and domestic violence are often forced to enter the legal system faster than they can manage. For some, the need for financial settlement is essential, due to financial abuse and lack of resources when leaving. For others, the matters of parenting and child support need to be resolved as quickly as possible.
Very few survivors are able, when entering this system to have the ability to pay for legal help, advocate for themselves, understand the process, separate emotions from facts, and be in a lengthy process with their abuser after leaving.
Most victims are not in the mindset for a fight, for adversarial process, which leads to survivors being unnecessarily harmed by the process as well as their abuser and opposing counsel.
There is a gap in understanding and ability, but a real need for resolution that require a different approach in order to protect everyone, uphold law, and move the process forward.