Story of Justice: Amal

Challenge: A law enforcement victim advocate reached out to the Family Law team at CCLA to help a young victim, Amal, who had been hospitalized after a domestic violence incident.  Following an argument about finances, the Perpetrator/Husband, Mahir, attacked Amal, repeatedly punching her in the face.  The force of the punch caused her to fall to the ground where the brutal attack continued as he kicked her.  Amal sustained multiple injuries including fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

Assistance: The victim advocate advised us that Amal wanted to file an injunction against the perpetrator, but was confined to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. Amal feared Mahir would contact her and that he would abduct their minor children.  Since time is of the essence in filing a Petition for Injunction for Protection, CCLA’s attorney accompanied the victim advocate to the hospital and prepared and filed the injunction paperwork.

Why it Matters: The parties had married at the age of 17 through an arranged marriage. After the incident, their 2 minor children were living with the perpetrator’s family. A CCLA attorney represented Amal at the final hearing for injunction. CCLA referred Amal to partner agencies for wrap around services including safety planning and relocation assistance. While preparing to file a dissolution of marriage action against Mahir, we also arranged to allow him supervised time sharing with the minor children.