Campaign to strip husbands' control over funerals in GBV cases is launched
The initiative is being led by Wanda Voight, who befriended Towne in Virginia in the US where she lived with her American husband Alexander. He is charged with strangling and beating her to death at their home in May.
Voight, who has ties to Namibia and South Africa and runs a women's empowerment group called SA-Love, said she assisted Towne's family as their US point of contact. She was spurred into action by 'the heartbreaking ordeal her family faced'.
The family had initially attempted to repatriate her body for burial in SA but costs and logistics prevented this and her remains were cremated in the US.
To do this, they were legally required to obtain permission from her husband, despite his arrest for the death, Voight said.
The family also needed to obtain his permission to enter their rental home and collect her personal belongings.
'In Virginia, a person who kills their partner retains legal rights over their victim's body and shared possessions, forcing grieving families to seek permission from the perpetrator to bury or cremate their loved one.
'This adds unimaginable pain to a devastating loss. No family should ever have to endure such a cruel and unjust barrier to laying their loved one to rest.
'I've contacted our two Virginia senators and launched a petition on Change.org calling for the passing of Kim's Law, which would revoke the legal rights of domestic violence perpetrators.'
Kim's Law would:
Strip alleged perpetrators of any rights over the victim's remains and burial decisions.
Prevent them from inheriting or controlling shared property.
Empower families to make decisions without interference from the accused.
To date there are 718 signatures on the petition.
Towne had relocated from Cape Town to teach in Bahrain where she met her husband, who was also working there. After a stint in the US, she returned to South Africa during an estrangement. They reconciled and she travelled back to the US to rejoin him. Family spokesperson Lauren Delcarme previously shared that her 'warmth, kindness, and gentle spirit touched everyone she met'.
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