Post by womensadvocacy on Feb 3, 2009 9:22:45 GMT -5
I am writing from The Women’s Advocacy Group, a women’s rights non-profit based in Washington DC, and currently we are working on a documentary (see below for description).
HEAT OF PASSION
A film about the disparate treatment of men and women
in today’s American legal system.
In America today, killing a female family member is considered manslaughter, not murder. Under the charge of manslaughter, the average sentence a man gets for killing his wife is 7 to 12 years in prison. Take the same crime, reverse the sex and the average woman who kills her husband gets 25 years to life in prison. This injustice revolves around the application of the legal term “heat of passion”.
The film will consist of ten cases – five women who killed their husbands and five men who killed their wives. The reasons for this sexism within the law are varied, and include deeply ingrained cultural values that men and women deserve different standards of care by their spouses.
A similar issue was tackled in the documentary, Defending Our Lives, which positively changed state law in Massachusetts. While that movie concentrated on the phenomenon of Battered Wives Syndrome, this film seeks to examine the gendered application of our laws by comparing cases of spousal murder side by side.
About the Filmmakers:
Jenna DiCocco and Hisham Kassim, founders of the Women’s Advocacy Group (WAG). WAG supports education focusing on women’s human rights by providing resources and tools to assist advocates in the international human rights community.
Contact information:
WAG
2006 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 319.541.2761
Email: thewomensadvocacygroup@gmail.com
If you feel that this injustice is too important to stand by and watch, and you would like to share your experience to educate and create change please contact us at thewomensadvocacygroup@gmail.com or call 319.541.2761. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or concerns about HEAT OF PASSION, the documentary, or our work.
HEAT OF PASSION
A film about the disparate treatment of men and women
in today’s American legal system.
In America today, killing a female family member is considered manslaughter, not murder. Under the charge of manslaughter, the average sentence a man gets for killing his wife is 7 to 12 years in prison. Take the same crime, reverse the sex and the average woman who kills her husband gets 25 years to life in prison. This injustice revolves around the application of the legal term “heat of passion”.
The film will consist of ten cases – five women who killed their husbands and five men who killed their wives. The reasons for this sexism within the law are varied, and include deeply ingrained cultural values that men and women deserve different standards of care by their spouses.
A similar issue was tackled in the documentary, Defending Our Lives, which positively changed state law in Massachusetts. While that movie concentrated on the phenomenon of Battered Wives Syndrome, this film seeks to examine the gendered application of our laws by comparing cases of spousal murder side by side.
About the Filmmakers:
Jenna DiCocco and Hisham Kassim, founders of the Women’s Advocacy Group (WAG). WAG supports education focusing on women’s human rights by providing resources and tools to assist advocates in the international human rights community.
Contact information:
WAG
2006 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 319.541.2761
Email: thewomensadvocacygroup@gmail.com
If you feel that this injustice is too important to stand by and watch, and you would like to share your experience to educate and create change please contact us at thewomensadvocacygroup@gmail.com or call 319.541.2761. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or concerns about HEAT OF PASSION, the documentary, or our work.