Revenge Porn Article

My latest article on wikinut - 

Revenge Porn: A Hurtful and Humiliating Ploy, but Does it Constitute Criminal Behavior?

Examines the emerging social problem of revenge porn and analyzes critical factors that precipitate a specific response by law enforcement. 

 

Beyond Advocacy and Awareness

A Movement to End Violence against Women in the USA

"The Avon Foundation for Women, in partnership with numerous advocacy organizations and corporate sponsors, has transformed the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month Campaign into the largest coordinated women’s movement for social change in United States history."

 For more information, read the full article on Wikinut.

Scales of Justice

With all of the laws in the US, you wouldn't think domestic violence crimes should be so hard to prosecute.  In reality, the scales of justice often discriminate against women attempting to escape from their abuser.  Although we spend millions of dollars on prevention and awareness campaigns, we have not yet reached the roots of this problem; they are deeply burrowed within denial and ignorance.

Every law enforcement professional you meet will say that the problem lies with the victims who fail to cooperate with the prosecution.  Why?  Because they are confused, afraid, and alone.  Their abusers spent many weeks breaking them down and grooming them to be completely submissive.  They have little or no support and nowhere to go.  Knowing that plea deals generally result in no jail time served, they figure it's best to take the abuse rather than placing the children in unsupervised visitation with their abuser. 

Abusers don't usually let go of their victims right away and some never do.  We all witnessed those "messy" divorces where each party gets dragged through the mud.  In fact, abusers take special care to "brand" their victim, assuring that enough dirty laundry has been left behind to use against her, should she try to leave.  For example, many men are using revenge porn as a defamation tactic; taking photos of victims under the guise of intimacy, then performing virtual rape by posting them all over the internet.  Victims also feel guilty for having made some poor choices during the course of the relationship.  Some think they deserve to be punished for those poor choices, and their abuser makes sure to point them out.  

In reality, a second victimization is occurring: extortion by the abuser, with a little help from the justice system.  If you have ever acted as a substitute in a bowling league, you may have been given a handicap for your scoring disadvantage.  Domestic violence victims go into the courts with a handicap too; they have been physically beaten, psychologically assaulted, and emotionally broken and they often have the weight of their children's best interest to consider.  Judges don't care - the case is either black, or it's white.  Whoever has the best upfront advantage wins.  

Perpetrators know that the burden of proof lies on the victim, and abusers do everything in their power to make sure the victim is disorganized and destitute.  The family court appearances are scheduled much quicker than criminal court appearances, so victims have very little time to pull themselves together and figure out the best way to present their case.  Most victims have never appeared in a court of law before.  The escape itself is traumatic and overwhelming; in other words, victims are at their lowest and weakest point.  It is the perfect opportunity for an abuser to discredit his victim.

In several cases, the victim is denied her day in court by incompetent or indifferent members of law enforcement, as well as ineffective internal procedures.  Arguably the last profession to embrace technology, law enforcement is held back by adherance to rigid, oudated practices and traditions.  No longer looked upon as a career of prestige and honor, officers' vacancies never seem to be filled.  They have a defensive disadvantage to contend with as well, and often cannot handle the complexity presented in domestic violence cases.  

Finally, there is the dollar amount to consider.  The odds are high that an abuser who is found guilty by trial will file endless appeals, while taxpayers foot the cost of his rustic vacation in jail.  Very few abusers contribute anything of value to society, nor do they hold steady jobs, which means their fines never get paid.  In short, they are a waste of time and energy for the prosecutor.  This attitude is unfortunate; in reality, society ends up picking up an extremely costly tab after these perpetrators spend years wreaking devastation upon their communities.
 

Domestic Violence & Stalking Violates Human Rights

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." United States Declaration of Independence, 1776

I could get into a long, drawn out discussion of women's rights in America, but let's leave that to the lawyers and historians. Despite the failure of Equal Rights Amendment ratification attempts and the ambiguity of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, I believe that women already have basic human rights as defined in the quote above. In my opinion, the crime of stalking violates those rights by limiting a person's ability to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Consider the following statistics:

1. In 2000, relationship data between victims and their offenders indicated that 44.3 percent of the victims were acquainted with or related to their assailants. Familial relationships existed between 13.4 percent of the victims and their murderers; acquaintances murdered 30.9 percent of the victims. 
2. Husbands or boyfriends murdered 33.0 percent of the female victims, and wives  or girlfriends killed 3.2 percent of male victims during 2000.

In other words, nearly half of all homicides against women that year were committed by someone they knew; of those, nearly one third were female victims of intimate partner homicide. This staggering result of domestic violence is often inflicted AFTER a women announces her decision to end an intimate partnership - the most dangerous time for her. Some of the domestic homicide victims had an active protective order in place, but others were denied it, or simply too embarrassed to seek legal help; they hoped the abuse would eventually stop. Many of those women knew their days might be numbered, telling friends and family how they feared for their life. These victims were existing inside a fragile bubble with little hope for intervention from law enforcement or from the courts. The tragic loss of life for most of these women was highly preventable.

Survivors who aren't killed by their ex-partner are left with years of trauma and hardship, and many do not see an end to the threats and violence; they are restrained from living a life of freedom. We must understand that stalking is not a one or two-time occurance; rather, it is a repetitive pattern of behavior meant to harrass, threaten, and intimidate over a long period of time. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010,

   3. 1 out 6 women are stalked at some point during their    
      life, and two-thirds of them are stalked by intimate  
      partners.

Incidents of stalking are often underreported due to a victim's inability to prove that the legally required "persistent pattern" of stalking incidents has occured. Most police departments don't have effective protocals and most officers lack adequate training for handling a stalking case. Even if a woman doesn't give up after receiving the typical law enforcement response, she will likey see that prosecution is an extremly rare occurance - regardless of overwhelming evidence. She accepts her fate, struggling to maintain gainful employment and attempting to prevent her credit from being destroyed by her abuser. Unable to move about her home and community freely, she weathers an extreme amount of daily stress, which slowly destroys her physical and mental health.

There is only today for each one of these women, because tomorrow is too terrifying or too overwhelming to grasp hold of. Every day is a battle of survival. They have difficulties advancing in the workplace and obtaining higher education. Most take on a posture of defeat, choosing to put every ounce of energy into protecting their children in lieu of bettering their own lives. They minimize health and wellness issues, preferring to deny a problem until it becomes unavoidable. They don't socialize beyond a small circle of trusted family members, choosing instead to stay home where it is "safe." Suicide is a backup plan for them if all else fails. These women observe their stalkers enjoying personal liberties in the most grotesque forms, while their own plight is rejected as an invalid concern or completely ignored.

There are numerous excuses provided by governments for this travesty of justice: 

• victims don't understand the legal process
• they don't get adequate representation
• there aren't enough resources for victims
• they are bound by ignorance and poverty
• there isn't enough law enforcement manpower
• funding for advocacy programs has been cut
• criminal trials against abusers are too costly and time-consuming
• there are more important crimes we must deal with

Within all this chatter, we are sending out two crystal-clear messages:

• Female victims of domestic violence, having put themselves in a compromising position, are of little or no human value to society.

• Men are somewhat discouraged from, yet with few extreme exceptions, entitled to abuse and enslave their branded romantic partners.

Until we, as a society, reject premises which systematically encourage abuse, human rights violations against American female victims of domestic violence will continue to prevail. There are numerous effective, documented solutions for changing the course of domestic violence in the US; however, our male-dominated government has made a conscious choice to maintain misogynistic principles in our country.  I hope to develop a national movement among progressive citizens, which challenges the belief that men are entitled to ownership of women, and as such, women are less important members of society.

1 & 2. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports “Crime in the United States, 2000,” (2001).

3. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf 

Domestic Violence as a Social Crisis

We are well into Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We don't like to talk about it, but we all know people who are or were in a dangerous situation. If we feel uncomfortable discussing it, imagine how horrible it is to live it. We are left with emotional scars for years after the physical scars have healed. It affects our entire family. Worse yet, the archaic legal system causes secondary victimization and fails to adequately protect our children.

The only way this problem, which affects every aspect of our society, will ever be solved, is through discussion and action. Talk to your spouse, your friends, and your children about it. Write letters and call your lawmakers to request more attention to the issue. Volunteer to help victims - you may be surprised at who they are and how they have been affected. They feel that nobody cares and they suffer in silence.

You might think you know all about Domestic Violence, but you probably don't know much unless you have either lived through it or worked with victims. I've done both, and I am still learning every day. The cycle of violence is passed on to future generations, causing a threat to civilized society. Usually nothing is done until it becomes a matter of us vs. them, which further divides our country.

It doesn't have to get that far. Dealing with problems early on can save our families, but they must have the information and tools they need to stop the cycle BEFORE they seek professional assistance. That's where we come in - who better to trust than those in your own social circle? If we get the information and offer our support (not judgement) to families who are at risk of future crisis, we may be able to empower them to change their course.

Let's not wait until there is little choice but to dissolve the family. Lets start talking about relationships, family challenges, and dealing with conflicts in the home. Lets use the words: domestic violence. What does that entail? How do family problems escalate into that? How can every member of a family feel valued and empowered? These are the questions you need to be asking TODAY.

Tribute to a Hero

Susan Murphy-Milano was a warrior in the fight against Domestic Violence. After her Father killed her Mother, she dedicated the rest of her life to saving victims. She was instrumental in passing the country's first anti-stalking law in Illinois. Recently, she lost her battle against cancer due to having no health insurance. I encourage everyone to read her insightful, informative books and to keep her legacy alive.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Today marks the start of another round of Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities. You can learn more about it at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website. I hope everyone will put forth the effort to end this scourge upon humanity. Do it for your loved ones, male and female, who are likely to either suffer abuse personally, or to be affected by the abuse of another person in their social circles. 

 

A healthy society depends upon healthy citizens; a broken society is the result of broken citizens. We can all work together for change and renewal. We can make our world a safer place by helping victims and demanding justice for their abusers. Find out how by visiting the National Network to End Domestic Violence website.