By MATT CHANDLER
Buffalo Law Journal

Recent headlines involving an R&B supercouple, Rihanna and Chris Brown, and a couple who ran a Muslim TV station from Western New York have underscored this bald fact: Women and men are being physically, emotionally and sexually battered every day by their significant others.

They are both the ones you would least suspect of being victims and the ones you have long suspected. They are your neighbors, your co-workers and your friends. They may be your tax preparer, your nurse, your children's teacher and your attorney.

Those who work tirelessly to end such abuse say the key is education. Others say the legal system is cumbersome and difficult to navigate for victims looking for an escape, and needs an overhaul.

One thing everyone agrees on: The incidence of domestic violence in Western New York is higher than most people realize.

"As a young prosecutor, I was appalled at the lack of any coordinated response in the criminal-justice system to the issue of domestic violence," said Erie County Family Court Judge Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin, a nationally recognized expert on domestic violence.

In the mid-1990s, Erie County's then-district attorney, Frank Clark, formed his office's first Domestic Violence Bureau, naming Rodwin chief. That was followed with the formation of the City of Buffalo Domestic Violence Court in 1997 and, in 2004, the creation of the Erie County Integrated Domestic Violence Court.

"These courts allow a family going through a divorce or custody issue, who also have a criminal case of domestic violence, to have those cases heard by one judge," she said. "That coordinated response to these issues has made a big difference for victims."

Rodwin stressed that these efforts focus on domestic violence only once someone has been victimized.

"We need to educate people, educate professionals, as to the serious nature of this problem and the fact that it cuts across all socioeconomic lines," she said. "As professionals, we will encounter clients who are in the midst of this, and we need to work to educate them about the options they have and about how they can protect their children."

After 15 years of witnessing the effects of domestic violence, is Rodwin dismayed by the fact that court dockets are still overflowing with domestic-violence cases?

"I am frustrated," she said, "but when you look at how long it took for our society to change its attitude toward drunk driving, it took a generation. Things now are so different than they were 15 years ago. We have made progress, but we certainly have a long way to go."

Linda Ray, executive director of the Erie County Family Justice Center, agrees that much work remains to be done to prevent domestic violence.

"Last year, there were over 7,000 domestic violence incidents reported (to police agencies) in Erie County," she said. "Studies show that only one in seven cases nationally are actually reported, so if you apply that to the numbers in Erie County, it is pretty scary."

Ray said her office helps victims of domestic violence who come from all walks of life.

"We have a lot of cases on both ends of the spectrum," she said, noting that the number of senior citizens who are victimized has grown. "We also deal with a lot of dating violence in Erie County. We see people as young as 16 seeking our help."

While Ray praised the family-court system for its handling of the issue, others say the system is broken. Sharon Wroblewski, who runs a southtowns home for women escaping abusive relationships and is a survivor of domestic violence herself, had high praise for the police departments in Blasdell and Hamburg, where most of their clients come from. But she said there are still obstacles that keep victims silent.

"Women still hesitate to call the police, because once you make a domestic-violence call, you have a flood of people involved in your life," said Wroblewski, executive director of the Kathleen Mary House. Victims are see their parenting scrutinized and their lives put under a microscope, she said, potentially victimizing them a second time.

The process, Wroblewski said, only gets worse as her clients proceed to Family Court to fight for custody of their children.

"Nothing happens in Family Court," she said. "You wait and wait. Once you get inside, you might get five minutes, and then the case is adjourned. Nothing is ever settled in the court."

She said it is a major roadblock to increasing the number of women who seek help.

"I don't think it is the judges in Family Court, I think it is the system," she said. "Sometimes the lawyers just go into a room, and they are talking about your life, your children, and you're not even included in it. It is the law, and the system, and the mother and children aren't being served."

Lawyer-survivor to talk at seminar

The Bar Association of Erie County, Medical Society of the County of Erie, Buffalo chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs and Eighth District Dental Society are jointly putting on a seminar on domestic violence Wednesday, April 15, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at The Millenium Hotel, Cheektowaga.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Nancy Nielsen, president of the American Medical Association. Erie County Family Court judge Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin will also speak at the event, as will Linda Ray, executive director of the Family Justice Center.

At least one seminar participant will be talking from the perspective of a victim and survivor.

Patty Walker, an attorney with the Law Offices of Douglas Coppola, decided to share her story after she escaped an abusive relationship, hoping to offer other women the courage to leave.

"I really had a need to make something good out of my experience," she said. "Especially as a professional woman, you feel a sense of shame, you feel like you are the only one, like everyone around you is too smart to let this happen.

"If I had known then what I am trying to get out there," she said, "I would have been better off."

To learn more about the seminar, contact Mary Kohlbacher at 852-8687 or mkohlbacher@eriebar.org.

- Compiled by Matt Chandler