The newest episode of SVU really touched my heart. The story begins with a child screaming for help, as she had gotten tangled up in her butterfly costume on the third floor balcony, and was very close to falling to her death. Rollins and Benson rescue the child and interview the mother, who was under temporary police custody for shoplifting childrens toys. Detective Amaro wanted to know why she left her child at home alone, and the young woman claimed it was because she did not trust her husband with the child. As the investigation continues, the detectives discover that the mother had endured years of child abuse, and, up until her arrest, spousal abuse and rape. It was evident that she was suffering from PTSD and depression.
The story unfolds and the lives of the young woman and her child are turned upside down. Videos surface and the mother’s abuse (starting from age 5) is seen by the detectives. Her mothers boyfriend had been harming her for years and posting the videos on a pedophile website.
The woman’s abuse brainwashed her. At one point in the episode, she told detectives that she was married and that in a marriage, there’s nothing a woman can do.
It hurts me to know that many women actually feel this way. They feel that there is nothing they can do to stop the abuse and that there is no benefit from coming forward to expose the ones who have been abusing them.
What can we do to help more women come forward? The trickery used by SVU detectives is strictly for ratings, and the tactics see on the show are oftentimes illegal. So what can we do LEGALLY to help them?
The episode isn’t up on netflix, but if anyone wants the link, just ask for it in your comments.