Perspective: 16-year-old Om was killed in 2023. Now his childhood friend is advocating for change
Last year on Mother’s Day weekend, one of my childhood best friends, Om Moses Gandhi, was brutally murdered by his father during a custody dispute. He was 16.
The shock and sorrow I experienced — and am still experiencing — is beyond words, but I am taking that shock and sorrow and directing it into something productive that I hope you will help me with: passing HB272, Keep Children Safe from Family Violence — also known as Om’s Law.
Om was one of the kindest, purest, funniest and most loving people I have ever known. I would often stay with Om, his sister and mother when my parents left town. Although I didn’t like being away from my parents, I always knew that my stay would end up being a highlight of the month. I remember Om would often show us his hiding spot in the neighborhood where he would go to escape chores — a secret swingset in a tree-crowned meadow. We would often walk down there for playful sword fights with sticks and swinging competitions.
Despite my confidence in sword fighting, I played a little too hard one day and twisted my ankle. Surrendering his victory, Om helped me walk back home and found me some ice in the freezer to remedy my foot. This memory encompasses Om’s nature to protect and care for those in need.
Om should not be dead.
Om should be getting his driver’s license. Om should be practicing a new piece on his saxophone. Om should be applying for college this year. But no matter how desperately I want to bring him back, I know that I can’t.
What can be done, however, is allowing his name to protect future children through HB272. Please encourage your legislators to use their power to allow Om to live on and continue protecting others as he did in life.
Related
Sadly, Om’s death was not an isolated incident, which is why this bill is desperately needed. According to the Center for Judicial Excellence, Om is the 926th child who has been murdered by a parent during a divorce or separation since 2008. Following Om’s death in May 2023, 57 more children have been murdered by a parent during the unraveling of a relationship. Clearly, more is needed to protect vulnerable children. Om’s Law adds more guardrails in the family courts to prioritize child safety:
HB272 urges ongoing training to judges and court decision makers on how to recognize family violence, coercive control, abuse and trauma.
HB272 restricts “expert testimony” to only real, qualified experts.
HB272 helps courts remember to acknowledge protective orders when deciding custody.
Many groups have already endorsed Om’s Law, including the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Utah, the Utah Chapter of the American Medical Association, the Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, Utah Victim Service Commission and Crime Victim Council, National Family Violence Law Center, and National Safe Parents Organization.
Please ask your legislators to vote YES on HB272. It would mean the world to me and to Om’s family.
Ella Udell is a 17 year old high school student, the founder of @justice.for.om and on the Utah Domestic Violence Prevention Center’s Policy Outreach Committee.
