3 Women 3 Ways

CUSTODY COURTS: INTENTIONAL BIAS? Study after study is showing perfectly good mothers losing custody of their kids, often to fathers who have been abusive or who don’t want to pay child support. Some advocates and experts say it’s a problem with educating judges. But what if it’s more intentional than that? One group believes these custody nightmares are happening on purpose and that something must be done now. The Women’s Coalition International thinks the problems would be eased by requiring child custody cases to be heard by juries. Cindy Dumas is the founder and Executive Director of The Women’s Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and ending the epidemic of women’s children being taken away from. Her son, Damon Dumas, was sexually abused by his father for years, and when the Family Court system wouldn't hear his cries for help, he started a decade-long struggle to free himself from his father's control. He is now the Communications Director of The Women's Coalition and is a recipient