"Sin By Silence" - Women who killed their abusers

I was going to keep it light today and write about a new photography project I had in mind, but while going through my Twitter feed I came across the following article on a new domestic violence/murder/crime documentary called "Sin By Silence": Women Who Kill The Men They Love.
The documentary follows the women of a prison support group in a prison in Chico, CA, and tells the stories of how the group was created and the women who are part of it. Brenda Clubline founded the group after she was jailed for 26 years for murdering her husband, an ex-policeman who repeatedly beat her up and harmed her, before she killed him (you can read about her story HERE). At the time when Brenda Clubline was jailed, domestic violence was still one of those crimes that was swept under the carpet. There were no real support groups or shelters out there and there was a real stigma surrounding it. You just didn't talk about it. Even if you continuously had visible bruises on your face and body and broken bones, people would just avert their gaze... Or tell you to leave your husband/boyfriend/partner.

To be honest, only those who have actually suffered from domestic abuse/violence can actually really understand what you go through, after the actual physical pain has subsided. I know too many people close to me who suffered from it. Maybe one of them will be willing to answer some questions that I can then make into an article... Let's see. It's so important to keep talking about it, because it still happens on a regular basis.

Back to the documentary. I suppose murder is murder, and taking another person's life is a crime (unless, of course, it's during a war and then all laws fall out of the window and anyone is fair game apparently). But how does one judge the murder of an abuser? What if this is really the only way out, or at least, you cannot see any other way out? It's a interesting, and quite heartbreaking discussion. You can think about it in a pragmatic, distanced and cold-blooded way, or in a passionate way, thinking what you would do if it happened to you.

I want to see this documentary, and I want to write more about this. Or at least start some kind of meaningful discussion.

More information on Sin By Silence HERE