San Francisco, March 26, 2008 – Spurred by a recent San Francisco Superior Court decision to reduce the sentence of a man convicted of murdering his wife, the Filipina Women's Network (FWN) launched a campaign to ask state legislators to close the "special circumstances" loophole responsible for the reduction. At a press conference held at Hotel Monaco in downtown San Francisco a panel of high-powered women activists were on hand to voice out their indignation. Headed by Vagina Monologues author, and playwright, Eve Ensler, Beverly Upton, Executive Director of San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium and Partners Ending Domestic Abuse, Marivic Mabanag, Executive Director, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Vanessa Kenyon, a survivor, who eloquently described her terrible journey and how she was able to free herself from bondage; and Marily Mondejar, FWN President.
To heighten the glaring partiality to other violent crimes vis-à-vis “domestic violence,” FWN President Marily Mondejar dramatically emphasized that if a robber grabs your purse and you die in the struggle, he will be convicted with First Degree murder. Yet, if a husband kills his wife due to a domestic altercation, the perpetrator, (it can be the wife, too) might get a way with Second Degree murder. "In the eyes of the law, a man who kills his wife (or husband) is not viewed the same as a person who commits murder during a rape or robbery," she said.
"Why should a domestic violence case be treated as less important under the law? We need to change the law to send batterers away for a long time so that women in abusive relationships feel safe about coming forward."
On Friday March 14, members of FWN were in the courtroom when San Francisco Superior Court Judge Jerome Benson reduced a jury's first-degree murder verdict in a domestic violence case to second-degree murder. William Corpuz was convicted by a jury in May of last year for slitting his wife's throat.
Although Judge Benson said the murder of Marisa Corpuz, mother of two, was "a bloody, brutal, gruesome and savage killing," he stated that he had no choice but to reduce William Corpuz's sentence to second-degree murder because the evidence did not support a finding of deliberation. Judge Benson explained that he was constrained by limitations in California's laws on homicide to rule as he did.
"What started as a grassroots campaign in the Filipino community has now become a statewide initiative to make California a safer place for women and girls," said Eve Ensler, author, playwright, and founder of V-Day. "We need more groups like the Filipina Women's Network (FWN) to mobilize communities, saving lives, one woman at a time. It makes a world without violence truly possible."
Upton and Mabanag spoke about their involvement in their respective jobs in helping to enforce legislation to protect women and children in abusive relationships and the need to educate everyone in the community including judges and law enforcers particularly. According to a CPDV study, of the vast majority of domestic violence, 85% is heterosexual, male on female violence. However, domestic violence touches everyone, regardless of age, economic class, race or sexual orientation. Mabanag added that there are organizations in place all over the state like My Sister’s House in Sacramento, CORA in San Mateo, and a hotline, 1-8000-799-SAFE, for victims. www.cpedv.org
Eve Ensler said that from her trips around the world and in 22 states in America, she concluded that the commonality of violence against women is impunity. Severity of abuse is based on non-accountability by the abuser. From Africa to Asia, to first world countries, the pattern seems to be the same. Thus, she pleads to all men (mostly) to treat women, sisters, mothers, aunts, daughters, nieces with respect. And for them to spread the word of non-violence to women and girls to their brothers, fathers, cousins, friends and frat brotherhood. There is a need to educate the community about healthy family relationships and laws protecting such relationships.
In addition to working with California State Legislators to change this law, FWN will launch a FWN V-Day 2008 anti-domestic campaign to build awareness, which will include performances of "The Vagina Monologues," as well as a Tagalog language version of the play which translates to "Usaping Puki," and the new show, "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer."
