Last year, eight-year-old Amir Harden was tragically shot and killed by his father while attempting to intervene in an incident of domestic violence (DV) between his parents. Earlier that same day, the father had appeared in court on a domestic abuse charge and was issued a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order (DANCO). He violated that order by returning to the family home, where he fatally shot Amir in front of Amir’s mother and siblings.
Amir’s death is a devastating reminder that domestic violence isn’t just an adult issue– it’s a child protection crisis. When the system fails to enforce protection orders, it fails both victims and their children.
In our upcoming 2023-2024 Child Fatalities from Maltreatment Report, more than half (52%) of child maltreatment deaths co-occurred with IPV. Current practices often screen out IPV reports when the child is not “involved in or otherwise situated in a location that puts them at risk of injury.” However, this approach leaves both victim-caregivers and children in danger while allowing perpetrator-caregivers to avoid accountability.
The lack of enforcement worsens the problem; in our report, nine primary perpetrators had a prior DANCO, and four had violated it. Yesterday this article appeared in the Star Tribune, reinforcing our concerns: “Minneapolis woman’s killing exposes gaps in how police investigate domestic violence.”
As we’ve covered in recent months, The Coalition, a group of professionals on the front lines of the child protection system, has called on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Council on Child Protection to make child safety the top priority in all child welfare decisions. The Coalition urges the legal system to work together to develop concrete strategies for addressing noncompliance with Orders for Protection (OFPs), Domestic Abuse No Contact Orders (DANCOs), and Harassment Restraining Orders (HROs).
Victim-caregivers and their children deserve a system that acts decisively– one that enforces accountability, protects families, and treats IPV as both a child protection and public safety crisis. Achieving real change will require unified action, stronger enforcement, and policies that put safety first.