Family courts were created to protect the best interests of families — yet across Pennsylvania and beyond, survivors of domestic violence are being re-traumatized by a system that rewards abusers and silences victims. While much attention is placed on custody cases involving children, the injustice does not stop there. Survivors without children are also subjected to prolonged court entanglements, retaliatory filings, and legal intimidation that extend their abuse through the very systems meant to keep them safe.

Whether through child custody battles or post-separation legal harassment, abusers exploit the gaps in family court procedures to maintain power and control. Survivors are often denied protection, credibility, and voice — especially when they represent themselves due to lack of resources. Judges, attorneys, and court staff frequently lack the necessary training to identify coercive control, trauma responses, and the long-term impact of psychological abuse.

This crisis impacts all survivors: parents and non-parents alike. It undermines justice, perpetuates trauma, and enables abusers to use the legal system as a weapon.

As someone who has witnessed this firsthand — watching my daughter and grandson suffer both from an abusive ex-partner and the failures of the Philadelphia Family Court system — I know this problem is not theoretical. It is urgent and real.

We are calling for urgent reform. We demand mandatory judicial training on domestic violence, coercive control, and trauma-informed practices — and accountability for court actors who ignore the warning signs of abuse. No survivor should lose their child, their peace, or their safety because of a judge’s ignorance or indifference.

CALL TO ACTION : 

We are calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, District Attorneys Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania, and all Family Court leadership to immediately mandate trauma-informed training on domestic violence, coercive control, and post-separation abuse for all family court judges. Survivors and children deserve protection — not punishment — from the legal system.

Sign this petition to demand:

-Full enforcement of Kayden’s Law protections across PA family courts—

-An end to default 50/50 custody in abuse-related cases — each case must be evaluated based on safety.  

-Mandatory continuing education for judges on domestic violence, coercive control, and trauma—

-Accountability for court actors who ignore abuse or retraumatize victims

Lives are at stake. The system must change — and we need your voice to make that happen.