Monday, March 5, 2018

Home Truth: A Film Screening and Discussion on Domestic Violence and Human Rights

The Berger International Legal Affairs Program at Cornell Law School is co-sponsoring Home Truth: A Film Screening and Discussion on Domestic Violence and Human Rights:

In 1999, Colorado mother Jessica Gonzales experiences every parent’s worst nightmare when her three young daughters are killed after being abducted by their father in violation of a domestic violence restraining order. Devastated, Jessica files a
lawsuit against the police, claiming they did not adequately enforce her restraining order despite her repeated calls for help that night. Determined to make sure her daughters did not die in vain, Jessica pursues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and an international human rights tribunal, seeking to strengthen legal rights for domestic violence victims. Meanwhile, her relationship with her one-surviving child, her son Jessie, suffers, as he struggles with the tragedy in his own way. Filmed over the course of nine years, HOME TRUTH chronicles one family’s pursuit of justice, shedding light on how our society responds to domestic violence and how the trauma from domestic violence tragedies can linger throughout generations.

There are two screening Opportunities:

Wednesday, March 14 @ 5 p.m. Myron Taylor Hall, Room 186

Thursday, March 15 @ 6 p.m. Cinemapolis, 120 East Green Street, Ithaca

A panel discussion will follow both screenings.

Jessica's case is now studied in textbooks around the country, and the domestic violence advocacy community refers to her work and her case as one of the most significant legal cases in the history of the movement.
For more on the film and the panel discussions, click here.