Digital domestic abuse may be a growing concern under family law

By |2022-04-06T12:31:20+00:0018 Jun 2014|Categories: Family Law, Custody, Family Law Issues|

Digital domestic abuse may be a growing concern under family law

Technology is now part of everyday life. Families in Orange County, California, often rely on this advanced technology in order to communicate with their distant relatives and friends. However, such conveniences can have a negative impact as well. Through the Internet and different websites, anyone can obtain information on what a certain person is doing or their whereabouts. With family law issues such as divorce and child custody, the Internet becomes a convenient way for communication. However, experts noted that advanced technology is also associated with domestic violence, another family law concern. Digital domestic abuse is rapidly increasing, and those who actually experience it are not fully aware of the situation they are in.

For example, one woman never knew that the constant phone calls and text messages of her then boyfriend was considered digital domestic abuse. She related that she became afraid whenever she missed his phone call or failed to respond to his texts on time. A psychiatrist noted that domestic digital violence is not limited to frequent calls and text messages, and that there are cases where one partner supervises the other through their Facebook accounts or by installing keylogging software that records what a person types. There are also reports where their partner created a fake account on social media platforms and posed as a stranger in order to determine if their partner is cheating on them. The National Domestic Violence Hotline cannot specify the actual number of people experiencing digital domestic abuse because people lack awareness about this family law issue.

Any kind of family violence puts an individual’s safety on the line. California residents, however, have a lot of options available to them to prevent and eventually stop the abuse. An order of protection can prohibit the alleged abuser from communicating with the victim by any means.

Source: NWCN, “‘Experts warn of growing ‘digital domestic abuse’,” June 3, 2014

About the Author:

Dorie Anne Rogers - The Law Offices of Dorie A. Rogers, APC
Dorie A. Rogers, a Family Law Specialist, Certified by the State Bar of California, has been an attorney since 1981 with an exclusive family law practice located in Orange County. She is accepting dissolution cases with support and property issues including the use of forensics to ascertain business value, community interests and to establish monthly case flow analysis. Ms. Rogers has substantial experience in high conflict custody litigation involving sophisticated psychological issues. She drafts premarital and postmarital agreement designed to define and establish parties' separate and community property interests. Paternity cases and domestic violence matters are considered part of her practice. Ms. Rogers is a court-approved and court-appointed to represent minor children.Ms. Rogers consults with individuals concerned about entering or exiting a relationship. She advises effective strategies for dissolution or premarital planning. Knowledge is power and good planning affords better results.Specialties: Family Law Specialist, Certified by the State Bar of California
Go to Top