A PROCLAMATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA,
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA,
PROCLAIMING NOVEMBER 2022 AS
“FAMILY COURT AWARENESS MONTH”
IN THE CITY OF POMONA
WHEREAS, in 2017, Piqui, a five-year-old was suffocated by his biological father during an approved court visit despite his father's history of abusive behavior and his mother Ana Estevez’s plea to the court to protect him; and WHEREAS, to honor Piqui and all of the California children who have been murdered by a divorcing or separating parent and the conservatively estimated 58,000 U.S. children annually are being court ordered into unsupervised visitation with an abusive parent; and WHEREAS, the mission of the FCAMC is to increase awareness on the importance of empirically-based education and training on domestic violence and child abuse, including emotional, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as childhood trauma, coercive control, and post separation abuse for judges and all professionals working on cases within the family court system, and; WHEREAS, the mission of the FCAMC is to increase awareness on the importance of using scientifically valid, evidence-based, treatment programs and services that are proven in terms of safety, effectiveness, and therapeutic value, and; WHEREAS, the mission at the FCAMC is to educate judges and other family court professionals on evidence-based, peer-reviewed research. Such research is a critical component to making decisions that are truly in the best interest of children. This research includes The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study (co-principal investigator: Vincent Felitti, Kaiser Permanente-CDC); Child Custody Evaluators’ Beliefs About Domestic Abuse Allegations (principal investigator: Daniel Saunders, University of Michigan, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice); and Child Custody Outcomes in Cases Involving Parental Alienation and Abuse Allegations (principal investigator: Joan S. Meier, GW Law School, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice), and; WHEREAS, we encourage all residents to support their local communities' efforts to prevent the harm of children in the hands of family members and to honor and value the lives of children.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE POMONA CITY COUNCIL does hereby proclaim November 2022
as
FAMILY COURT AWARENESS MONTH