EP 264 Why Doesn’t She Just Leave Him?

The title of this episode is one of the most misunderstood aspects of intimate partner violence which runs rampant in our society and virtually every other. The World Health Organization deems it a ‘global epidemic’, fueled in our society by guns in the home and many reasons to keep it locked in silence. The perpetrator, most times a male, tries to make the perimeter of a victim’s life smaller and less connected and the victim is playing for time trying to figure out the best strategy to keep herself, and children, safe while an escape plan evolves. Both knowing that the mechanisms put in place to protect the victim–restraining orders key among them–are very inadequate for the personality traits that fuel the perpetrator. In a society that has contributed to the reluctance to make these ‘family matters more public, even in the last quarter century in the wake of the O.J. Simpson case, progress has been slow. Finally, we have a brilliant journalist who has given us new literature through which to see this devastating problem for what it is. Rachel Louise Snyder, author of ‘No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us’, joins us to walk through these personal, and societal, tragedies. Listen as she describes why it’s a crime like no other. And then, please, share this information with others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download