Justice and Mercy
Last week I had the experience of going to court for one of our moms. We will call her Nadia. I was asked by our legal advocate to testify as to the character of Nadia and what she had been doing since she joined our program. Her abuser laid some pretty heavy accusations against her and was petitioning for sole custody of their 17 month old daughter. Statue outside Cumberland School of Law called Justice and Mercy Having observed, counseled, and lived with Nadia for two months I felt comfortable speaking on her behalf. When she entered our shelter she had the appearance of a caged wild animal. She was wide-eyed, wound up, and terrified that her abuser would find her. As managers we had some very real concerns he would continue to pursue her as well. He showed up at her school and domestic violence class looking for her and contacted all her friends and family asking about her, even after the restraining order was served. Nadia weighed less than 100 pounds and smoked...