Woman's Advocate, Domestic Violence Shelter, Oregon

During her stay in Domestic  Violence Shelters in Oregon, American Domestic Violence Crisis Line Founder and Executive Director, Paula Lucas, recounted the verbal, emotional, psychological and physical  abuse she and her three sons had endured from her  husband, Christian Palestinian Fadi Mitri: retold from their courtship in San Francisco, California in 1984 where Mitri, famed Photojournalist for Newsweek magazine, wooed Paula into being his wife; to their marriage and re-location to the Middle East in 1987; to the seemingly successful, international lifestyle which fronted a life of  terror and abuse for 12 years; to the final day in Spring of 1999, when in desperation, Paula  secretly fled back to the United States.

The abuse experienced by Paula and her family became more intense, more frequent and more bizarre as the years went by. Paula repeatedly went to the American Embassy for help and her family contacted the US State Department and Domestic Violence agencies around the USA. No one would help. After arriving to the United States with her three sons, Paula stayed with family and friends until Mitri found and stalked her. Paula fled  once again and spent months living in Domestic  Violence shelters with her children in the  Portland, Oregon area. Emergency financial  support was granted to Paula via State and  Federal Government sponsored programs that help women, who have been forced to leave their homes  and jobs due to spousal abuse, re-build their lives. Domestic Violence Shelter programs also  provided domestic violence recovery counseling  for both Paula and her children.

Despite a complicated and extensive legal battle Mitri has waged against Paula, she had hired the law firm Johnston & Root of Portland, Oregon who won Paula Jurisdiction for Divorce and Child Custody under the Family Abuse Prevention Act and the Uniform  Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act .

On September 5th, 2000, after almost 17 months of legal battles, Paula was awarded full custody of her children. Mitri will be able to see the children under the supervision of a family facilitator in Oregon. The supervised program will include Mitri taking responsibility for the abuse he subjected Paula and the children to. Mitri continues to deny any abuse which the experts say is typical for batterers.

Mitri did succeed in fighting personal financial jurisdiction so he does not pay any child support, alimony or Paula's legal fees which have reached tens of thousands of dollars as a result of Mitri's aggressive legal tactics.

Determined to help other abused American women and children suffering in foreign countries, Paula founded the organization in September 1999 based on what she wished had been available to herself and her children as abused Americans overseas.. For three years she served as volunteer Executive Director, dedicating over 6,500 volunteer hours to persue her mission. In addition to being the driving force behind the organization "American Domestic Violence Crisis Line", Paula works a second job to be able to provide for her children and meet her financial obligations. When asked how she feels about the irony of what she has gone through, she responds "We are happy and we live without abuse in our lives. You can't put a price on that."