Operation: Michelle
An Initiative To End Domestic Violence

Summary

 In October and November 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, issued two statements regarding domestic violence.  On 11 October, the opening words of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children states: “No violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable.”  On 22 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Secretary-General Annan stated:

Violence against women causes untold misery, harms families across generations, and impoverishes communities…  When it comes to violence against women, there are no civilized societies…  Fighting this scourge requires us to change a mindset which is still too common and deep-seated.  To demonstrate, once and for all, that when it comes to violence against women, there are no grounds for tolerance and no tolerable excuses…  Together, we must work to create an environment where violence against women is not tolerated…  On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, let all of us – men and women alike – join forces in this mission.

For two citizens of the Principality of Hutt River, who reside in the United States, the call for the elimination of domestic violence hit very close to home.  Michelle Young, a good friend of Sir Edward Rupert in Colorado, was killed by her husband who then took his own life.  Sir Edward wanted to give her senseless death new meaning by honouring her memory.  He began an initiative called “Operation Michelle” to focus attention on the issues related domestic violence and to begin developing solutions that can be implemented locally and on a wider scale.  Sir Edward quickly recruited Sir William Speir to help him organize this initiative.  Both Sir Edward and Sir William have unique expertise with the issues of domestic violence.

• Sir Edward has served as a member of local law enforcement, and his wife works with domestic violence victims.  Sir Edward and his wife serve on the Board of Directors of a domestic violence shelter, and are currently raising money for a new shelter in honour of Michelle Young.  He and his wife are experts in the field related to helping victims.
• Sir William’s wife and children are survivors of domestic violence from her first marriage, and their participation represents the perspective of victims and their needs.

The goal of Operation Michelle is simple: to share information and coordinate activities on a wide scale, while working in local communities to end domestic violence where it happens.  In early 2007, Prince Leonard I, Sovereign of the Principality of Hutt River, agreed to be the sponsor of Operation Michelle.  Sir Edward and Sir William are now looking for other citizens of the Principality to help with this initiative.

Providing humanitarian aid to the countries in which its citizens reside is a key mission of the Principality.  A critical humanitarian need in this world is the protection of children and adults from domestic violence.  The statistics are staggering, and the impact on all society is simply too great to ignore.

There are many organizations today that focus on this issue and they have a wealth of information to provide.  What most of these organizations lack is volunteers to help get their work done, funds to advance their mission, and logistics experts to help them coordinate their efforts with others.  Sir Edward and Sir William envision much of Operation Michelle’s efforts being the volunteers, fund raisers, and coordinators that allow these local organizations be more effective – in short, help them be more successful as an active part of creating an enduring safe haven against domestic violence in all its forms.

The initiative logo of Operation Michelle has two key parts: the Lion battling the Snake, symbolic of the global struggle against domestic violence, and the Burning Torch, symbolic of the need to educate the world about this problem and serving as a beacon for others to join the cause.

For more information regarding Operation Michelle, please contact Sir Edward Rupert or Sir William Speir.