Laguna Niguel Declares November As Family Court Awareness Month

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — The City of Laguna Niguel made a choice to stand in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence and the reality they must navigate after making the decision to leave a toxic or abusive relationship. At the Laguna Niguel City Council meeting Tuesday, councilmembers voted to declare November as Family Court Awareness Month.

According to a news statement released by Family Court Awareness Month, November is an opportunity for survivors of domestic violence or post-separation abuse to raise their voices while amplifying awareness in their own communities on shortcomings within the family court system.

At Tuesday's meeting, One Mom's Battle Community Volunteer Lindsay Katz and her children, Kate and Grant, were invited to accept the proclamation.

"Through my own personal journey in Family Court, I discovered first-hand that the very system that was established to make decisions that are 'in the best interest' of children, has some undeniable shortcomings that warrant awareness, conversation, solutions and ultimately, change," Katz told Patch. "It is an honor to have helped bring awareness within my Laguna Niguel Community on this serious matter."

The movement began last year when nonprofit organizations Custody Peace and One Mom's Battle pushed to declare November as Family Court Awareness Month. According to the news release, the movement has also received support from other advocacy groups such as California Protective Parents Association, Center for Judicial Excellence, National Family Violence Law Center at GW, Movement of Mothers and The Court Said USA.

Together, Custody Peace and One Mom's Battle seeks to highlight the impacts of domestic violence and how abuse presents itself within the family court system.

The declaration of Family Court Awareness Month is designed to bring awareness and change to the system, while paying respect to the many children in the U.S. who have been murdered by a parent after a custody court rejected the other parent's plea for protection, according to the statement.

“In our inaugural year, our efforts involved a cross-county tour from Los Angeles, California to Raleigh, North Carolina with stops in seven major cities to meet with media, elected officials, domestic violence advocates, family court professionals, and survivors of post separation abuse and domestic violence," Creator of Family Court Awareness Month Tina Swithin said in the statement. "Those we met with found it unsettling to hear about the realities of the family court system, an unregulated industry that is perpetuating and giving life to cycles of abuse for future generations to come."