Silenced...

"They are dismayed and have no more to say;

words have failed them.

Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand there with no reply?

I too will have my say:

I too will tell what I know.

For I am full of words,

and the spirit within me compels me;

Inside I am like bottled-up wine,

like new wineskins ready to burst.

I MUST speak and find ;

I must open my lips and reply.

I will show partiality to no one,

nor will I flatter any man;

for if I were skilled in flattery,

my Maker would soon take me away." Job 32: 15-22

Oh, the words of those who have drank the koolaid, downed the juice of lies and apathy...I speak of those in roles created for victims of abuse, of horrendous acts and deeds, speaking words of shame, blame, and advising silence...in a situation of peril, stating the survivor should put away research and monitoring...

What I hear when those words are spoken is tantamount to assisting the perpetrator in their endeavour to suppress, silence, scold....when truth rose up within, I spoke with kindness, with dignity, with a tinge of righteous anger to fuel words of what is right, what is true...

In return I was offered an olive branch of control, of management....after all these months, a mentioning of an avenue to make complaint regarding how the case was handled.

I wonder at moments such as these if I am viewed as slow, lacking in intelligence to not see what it is they are attempting. It is obvious, apparent and offensive. So I battle...I ready myself for a Thursday meet with government appointed employee, armed with knowledge, with wisdom borne of experience and a fervour known only to those who have been oppressed, suppressed, silenced.

It is time to stand dear treasures, dear survivors...time to stand, not only for yourselves for those who have no words to speak, no recourse to tell their truth. The act of domestic violence has risen to such levels that it no longer resembles the moniker given...it is psychological torment; emotional/mental tortures, sexual abuses and physical terrors.

Excuses are made for assaults, stating everything from mental health issues to abscess tooth...oh I have heard some strange reasonings for the outlandish behaviours of abusers...stories of silencing, of outright dictates to stand down and do nothing...

leaving the victim, the lost one more adrift, more disoriented than the moment they stepped foot out the door and away from the monster.

The courage necessary to take this step cannot be forgotten, discounted. They take that step and move to help from those tasked, TASKED with their protection only to find an open hole of verbiage and excuses.

Do you still wonder why they 'don't just leave?' Do you still see with blinders, with dark coloured glasses, with judgement, with no understanding whatsoever?

A man/woman stands at an open window, 3 stories up...flames blowing out every opening, licking along the window she stands at, firemen below with Browder Life Safety Net assuring her of their skill in catching her, saving her...she takes one last look behind her at the fire encroaching closer, hungry in its attempt to devour everything in its path, and jumps....

The firemen in question drop the Safety Net and turning their backs, walk away as she falls...

Turning as they hear her cries for help they collectively hold fingers to their lips, silencing her shout for assistance.

This my friends....this is an apt metaphor for the actions of those in place to assist, right down the line...RCMP, Court appointed Crown Counsel, PO, Victim Services....

Is this a generalization on every member within each office...no. There are those who work tirelessly, who fight for the women, children (occasional men) who land on their desks.

However, the majority have sunk so low in apathy and sheer weight of caseloads they no longer lift their heads to look round them at the carnage that lies in every direction.

I speak today with passion, with a need for truth to be told, but not only that...no. A need for those not in the mix to see, to know, to understand how far down the rabbit hole our justice system has gone...mad hatters, dread Queen of Hearts, and Jabberwockies abound.

My friends, I hope you hear my heart once again as these words hit screen and await your perusal. I see this often, I hear it with increasing frequency and am equal parts appalled, dismayed, determined.

Let us walk in understanding, in compassion but more importantly in knowledge and wisdom.

Let us take a stand against the torment and torture of women, children and those rare men. Let us question, request answers, require of those in authority for transparency, for growth, for harsher laws holding these monsters accountable.

I pray today and each day ahead that you would be filled with courage, with passion for the lost, with empathy and compassion for those imprisoned with invisible bars in imaginary cages created by the abuser holding the puppet strings.

May God bless each one with eyes to see...with strength to manage the hours, days, weeks ahead until free, free to fly out of that cage and into a life filled with promise, with hope, with a renewal of dreams and goals to fill the heart and mind with joy unceasing.