Abuse and the Internet, a whole new look at Domestic
Violence in New Jersey
Each year thousands and thousands of people filed domestic violence complaints
in the New Jersey courts. It is easy to see domestic violence when you
have a victim that has physical injuries clearly before you. It is not as easy
to see violence when the injuries are emotional and the abuse came in the form
of words, emails or texts. More and more abusers are using multimedia to attack
their victims. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter as well as multiple chat applications
are being used as perfect avenues to torment victims. Abusers can stalk without
even leaving their homes, they can post messages on their victim’s message
boards, send texts to their friends and family and even contact their
employers. Not all of these actions are easily traceable as there are now
applications that permanently delete your messages within a short period of
time, making it harder for victims to prove what has happened to them. Photo
messaging applications like SnapChat allow users to send images to other people
and have those images disappear within a proscribed amount of time.
The internet and media sites are now being used as a method of spying on people
without them knowing. Some sites, like LinkedIn allow users to know who has
looked at their profile, but popular sites such as Facebook do not have the
same feature. Privacy settings can limit the information that is accessible to
random viewers but not everyone is aware of these privacy settings and there
are always ways around them.
Family courts in New Jersey are now facing a new array of domestic violence
cases which have no bruises, pictures or injuries. Complaints are now being
based on messages posted on social networks, photos shared and text messages
being sent. This forces the court to go beyond what it is used to when handling
domestic violence cases. It is important for the court to understand that these
messages have the same effect on their victim as physical violence. It is also
important for counsel on both sides to be able understand the multitude of ways
messages can be sent and received and be able to support their cases. Not every
message sent is enough to satisfy the Domestic Violence statute and that is why
is so crucial to have an experienced attorney guiding you through the process.
If you have been a victim of domestic violence or you have been accused of
domestic violence, do not hesitate to call us at 201-880-5563 to speak with one of our experienced attorneys.
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