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Abstract: 

Editor's Note: About 10 years ago, I began working, along with a fellow protective mother, on a conference dedicated solely to the burgeoning legal atrocities facing battered women seemingly everywhere I turned: the loss of custody, even any contact, by mothers who report domestic violence (DV) or child abuse when engaged in family court litigation. What was originally intended as a single weekend event turned into an annual summit. The BMCC became sort of a big-tent beneath which, over the course of a decade, thousands of protective mothers and their advocates came together to find ways to liberate battered women from courtinflicted abuse. In its fourth year, the annual theme, the Truth Commission, took the form of public testimony given at the conference in front of a panel of experts on the topics. After formally hearing the testimony of 16 battered mothers from states across the nation, the Commission members deliberated over the causes, contributors, and solutions to the myriad severe problems reported on by those giving testimony. This article is my description of the rationales, processes, and outcomes of the Commission, including the executive summary written by one of the Commission members, Connie Valentine.

Keywords: Battered Mothers Custody Conference, family court experiences, gender bias, Truth Commission

Affiliations:  1: editor, Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly.