October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Mackenzie O. Bretz Edmonds Lawyer

Family law attorneys are acutely aware of the cycle of violence and its detrimental impact on children and families. A significant part of our role is to amplify the voices of victims and to develop post-divorce solutions that prioritize their safety and that of their children.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I want to address subtle ways that abusers can target their victims.

Pattern of Daily Behaviors

Many victims of domestic violence know that abuse in a relationship often starts small and escalates. This can mean a multitude of things for different people. Still, usually, victims experience small outbursts, episodes of extremely controlling behavior, abusive texts, and phone calls, and later, this behavior escalates to higher levels of physical violence. Constantly having to assess what actions to take based on a perpetrator’s past behavior and anticipated future actions can severely harm a victim’s mental health. The sporadic use of physical force, coupled with psychological coercion, creates a dangerous power dynamic in the relationship. This makes it increasingly difficult for abuse victims to escape the cycle of abuse. 

Use of Children

If parties have children, an abuser may use them to harm the victim. This can occur through direct violence against the children or by using them indirectly to inflict further abuse. This can mean simply threatening violence against the child, sabotaging your parenting or accusing you of maltreatment of the children. This can also mean the abuser threatens to take the children or involve Child Protective services regarding your care of the children. These threats are often a means of control and can be very effective, particularly when a victim lacks resources to counter false claims.

Economic Coercion

In many abusive relationships, the abuser often has more financial resources or controls the finances entirely. This creates a more significant dynamic of control over the victim. Abusers using economic coercion will often make all of the financial decisions, cut the victim off from the finances, make it so they are not allowed to work or earn money and use all the financial resources that were allocated for a specific purpose. This type of abuse aims to create economic instability and make one partner financially dependent on the other, which restricts their freedom. Without access to money and the resources it provides, it becomes challenging to leave an abuser and seek safety. Those who experience this kind of abuse may feel trapped in the relationship, unable to escape the abuser’s control and at risk of further harm. Consequently, economic safety is fundamental to ensuring physical safety.

Abuse can take many forms, and talking to someone can be the first step in breaking that cycle. Please reach out to the Attorneys at Beresford Booth at 425.776.4100 or info@beresfordlaw.com, we can help you at any stage in your journey, including petitioning for protection orders, divorce, or other creative solutions.

For even more facts and information, be sure to check out Kelsey Affronte and I’s article about domestic violence awareness from last year: https://beresfordlaw.com/every-month-domestic-violence-survivors-should-be-recognized/

To learn more about October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please contact Beresford Booth at info@beresfordlaw.com or by phone at (425) 776-4100.

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