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US government failed domestic violence survivor, report says

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Summary of story from IPSNews, August 19, 2011

The US should do more to protect victims of domestic violence, according to the landmark decision of an international human rights tribunal.

The ruling by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) affirms domestic violence as a human rights issue.

And it found the US government violated the rights of Jessica Lenahan in relation to a tragic incident in Colorado in 1999.

On the night in question, Ms Lenahan contacted local police repeatedly to ask for help to locate her three girls after her estranged husband Simon Gonzales abducted them.

On each occasion she informed police that she had a protection order against Gonzales.

But she was told there was nothing they could do.

Hours later, Gonzales was killed in a police shoot out after he opened fire at a police department window. The dead bodies of her three girls – aged 7, 8 and 10 – were found in the back of his car.

Ruling on her case, the IACHR found that the US had failed to meet its “international obligations” on human rights.

According to Legal Momentum – a defence fund dedicated to protecting women’s rights –  the case highlights a longstanding problem in the US where protection orders are not enforced.

They have urged the US government to accept the recommendations of the IACHR and ensure local authorities protect victims.

Prominent campaigners Human Rights Watch have applauded the decision and said they hoped it “would spur domestic violence reform”.

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