Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Harassment and Social Media

When you think of domestic violence, you probably think of what goes on behind closed doors. You don’t see it happen, but the shouting and crying behind that door is evidence that something wrong is happening. However, in this day and age, domestic violence is becoming more out in the open, thanks to social media.

We’ve all heard to stories of teenagers and young people being bullied by known and unknown parties. However, these aren’t the only people who are receiving social media harassment; domestic violence victims also suffer. Domestic violence on the internet is on the rise and showing up on social media. Some of the more common tactics include:

• Cyberstalking victims. This is when your intimate partner posts harassing messages on your posts or wall.
• Posting inappropriate or non-consensual photos or other personal documents, such as a nude photo of you on the wall of your business’ Facebook page.
• Threatening physical harm to you and the people you love.
• Using social media to track, monitor and harass you, your family, friends, and children.

This is just another method these abusers can use to isolate their victims for a support network. And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an end to this type of harassment any time soon. According to the Pew Research Center, 66 percent of all internet users have been harassed online said their most recent incident occurred on a social networking website. In fact, one in four stalking victims report suffering from some form of cyberstalking, usually by a former intimate partner.

What can be done about social media harassment? Unfortunately, the law has been slow to catch up. For example, if someone is harassing you on Facebook, you cannot take out a restraining order on that person in New Jersey. The most a person can do is report the behavior to the social media site who can delete the material and ban the user. However, law enforcement really can’t do much but issue a report against that person.

If you are a victim of domestic violence and need a restraining order, let us help.   Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone today for a free consultation.