Local News - January 2003

New law offers anonymity

Domestic violence

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

January 1, 2003 - A new law that takes effect today could help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The law aims to keep attackers away from their victims by making the victims virtually undetectable.

The Address Confidentiality Program was signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley Oct. 31. The program was proposed by Attorney General Roy Cooper. It won unanimous approval by both the North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate during the fall.

The program puts a barrier between victims and abusers when the victim relocates.

Participants in the program will receive first-class mail at a substitute address and the Attorney General’s office will then forward that mail to their home address.

The substitute address could also be used when participants register to vote, obtain a drivers license and sign up for public utilities.

“Through the Address Confidentiality Program, victims won’t have to live in fear that their attacker will track them down and disrupt the new life they've worked so hard to create,” Cooper said in a press release.

That fear is what keeps many victims of domestic violence from leaving abusive relationships.

According to the Web site www.aardvarc.org, an abuse, rape and domestic violence aid and resource collection, many people believe that the victim will be safe once they separate from the batterer.

However, leaving does not usually put an end to the violence, the Web site reads.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, up to three-fourths of domestic assaults reported to law enforcement agencies were inflicted after separation of the couples.

Aardvarc.org cites a study that revealed that 73 percent of battered women seeking emergency medical services sustained their injuries after leaving the abuser. Women are most likely to be murdered when attempting to report abuse or to leave an abusive relationship.

When a woman finds the courage to get out of an abusive relationship, fear is still a huge part of her life.

“They’re very scared, afraid to sleep, afraid to go out at night, afraid to go to the grocery store,” said Jennifer Franklin, who works at Amy’s House, Lincoln County’s domestic violence shelter.

Six women and one child are  currently living at Amy’s House, Franklin said.

Victims who are approved for the program must move to a new address and will be given an Attorney General’s Office address in Raleigh to use on mailing addresses that are available to the public.

To be eligible, victims must have relocated or be in the process of relocating to a new address. They must sign a statement that they fear for their safety or the safety of their children

The law also requires evidence of abuse, such as police or court records, or documentation from a domestic violence program, religious, medical or other professional from whom the applicant has sough assistance in dealing with the abuse.

The strict requirements are a safeguard that will prevent people from using the program to avoid creditors.

Cooper expects 1,500 to 2,000 abuse victims to take part in the program.

The approval of the program came less than a month after five Lincoln County residents lost their lives as a result of domestic violence.

On Oct. 1, 15-year-old Amanda Barnhardt and her mother, Gael Morrison, were fatally shot by Morrison’s estranged husband, Kevin Morrison. Kevin Morrison then turned the gun on himself.

Nine days later, Lisa Ebert was killed by her husband, Mark Ebert, who then shot himself.

Both Gael Morrison and Lisa Ebert had left their husbands.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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