It is truly astounding that Helen received an 18-year sentence for defending herself after 27 years of a brutal coercive-controlling marriage in which she faced the constant threat of being killed by her abusive husband.
Helen truly appreciates all who have signed our petition (keep sharing this link: https://www.change.org/p/this-grandmother-of-8-should-not-be-in-jail-please-support-her-appeal/ ) and written cards and letters (see below for how you can do this). People have signed the petition far and wide, including from Mexico, Germany, France, UK, Chile, Japan, India, Pakistan, Hungary, Poland, Guyana, Italy, Egypt, Ireland, South Africa, Argentina, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Cameroon, Tunisia, Lebanon, Israel, Greece. Male violence against women is a truly global pandemic.
In addition, leading advocates who work the frontlines in the struggle to end male violence against women and children have been incredibly supportive of Helen and the appeal she has launched. You can read more about that below.
But first, a note from
Helen:
Hello Everyone,
This is Helen Naslund. I have a much needed message to pass along to all the kind, caring supporters who have taken the time and shown their interest in signing the petition in support of the appeal of my sentence.
There are many that have sent me a card and a letter expressing their sincere concern and positive support. However, there are also thousands of people across the country whose names I do not know but who have signed the petition. I do not have the words to thank you all enough. And a special thank you to Matthew Behrens and those who helped him with this incredibly overwhelming support group that is in progress.
I have always been a very private person. Having said that, all this public attention is a huge overload for me. Yet at the same time it does help to give me strength. I need to power through this hellish situation I am in.
Thank you all again for all your kind words and positive support. I truly appreciate all that you are doing.
Sincerely,
Helen
The support that Helen references has been seen from coast to coast to coast.
Jan Reimer, the Executive Director at the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, put the issue clearly when she wrote: "For 30 years society failed to provide Helen Naslund with a basic human right, her right to safety, and now we see her being incarcerated for 18 years. She suffered this abuse and also saw the impact it had on her children over and over again. If a man had been held hostage by terrorists for 30 years and then killed his captors to escape we would applaud his courage, bravery and endurance. Because she killed her captor, a domestic violence terrorist, we shame and sentence her to life in prison. How does the justice system reconcile this contradiction?"
Lise Martin of Women’s Shelters Canada, which represents over 600 nationwide shelters and women’s support services, wrote: "We trust a successful appeal that takes into account the time she has already 'served' – 27 years in a domestic prison and now over six months in federal prison – will bring an end to the punishment this abuse survivor must endure."
Jenny Wright of Newfoundland and Labrador, who has spent decades working to end male violence against women in that province, noted that: "Such a cruel and disproportionate sentence against Ms. Naslund erases 40 years of vital advocacy – culturally and systemically – to educate society about what gender-based violence is and its devastating impact on victims, families, communities and society as a whole."
JoAnne Brooks of the Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County writes: "Thankfully, Helen Naslund did not become another femicide statistic. If the proper supports and services needed to address the unending epidemic of male violence against women had been in place and available to her, she would likely not be behind bars today. If a true understanding of the dynamics faced by Helen Naslund had been at play throughout her judicial journey, then we would have seen a far less severe outcome.”
Myrna Dawson of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability writes: "Helen Naslund’s case is stark evidence that years of alleged education and training for justice system actors have failed miserably in this jurisdiction. It also begs the question of how many other similarly situated women in this country have been failed. We need answers to these questions, fast. In the short term, Helen Naslund’s experiences of violence and how she was ultimately forced to respond are not her failings. These are our failings. They are society’s failings. A more compassionate and appropriate response is crucial. We support Helen Naslund’s appeal for justice."
Helen still faces a challenging road ahead. While Helen is appealing her sentence, we will continue to build public support and awareness to end her nightmare and to prevent similar ones from taking place in the first place.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Take a Selfie of support while holding a statement like “I Stand With Helen Naslund: Stop Punishing Survivors!” or “Helen Naslund Should Not Be In Jail for Surviving” or “Jailing Women Who Defend Themselves is a Crime, #StandWithHelen”, etc.
2. When you post your selfie, share a few words about why you are doing this, and include a link to the petition in support of Helen: https://www.change.org/p/this-grandmother-of-8-should-not-be-in-jail-please-support-her-appeal (If you are not on social media, email it to tasc@web.ca and we can share it for you on the Women Who Choose to Live Facebook page)
3. Email a copy of your selfie to Women Who Choose to Live at tasc@web.ca, and we’ll be sure to send a copy to Helen.
4. If you would like to write a card/note to Helen, contact tasc@web.ca for details and an address.
5. If you work with an organization that would like to write a support letter, contact tasc@web.ca and we’ll send you details!
Thank you to everyone for standing with Helen.
Please stay in touch as we campaign to end the jailing of survivors and work toward a world in which male violence against women and children is brought to an end.
Matthew Behrens
Women Who Choose to Live
tasc@web.ca
How incredably unjust.
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