WomenSV's Ruth Darlene Patrick on Combating Technology Control and Domestic Abuse

PRESS RELEASE
Published May 24, 2023

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2023 / In today's ever-evolving digital landscape, we enjoy countless advantages that make our lives more convenient and interconnected. But as with most innovations, there can be a destructive side to technology. In the hands of domestic abusers, tools like tracking apps, spyware, and social media platforms can become instruments of manipulation, harassment and control. Ruth Darlene Patrick, founder of WomenSV, a nonprofit organization working to assist survivors of domestic violence, and an authority on domestic violence, stresses the importance of educating both survivors and those who support them on how abusers exploit these technologies to perpetuate their harmful behavior.

WomenSV, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, Press release picture

"Most people don't realize how prevalent technology-facilitated abuse is, and how easily it can be done," says Ruth Darlene Patrick. "Tracking apps, for example, can be installed on a victim's phone without their knowledge, allowing the abuser to monitor their every move, and spyware can be used to read text messages and emails, and even listen to phone calls. Additionally, social media harassment can take many forms, from public shaming to creating fake accounts to impersonate and discredit the victim."

Ruth Darlene Patrick founded WomenSV in 2011 with the mission of empowering survivors of domestic violence, training providers, and educating the community to break the cycle of covert abuse and coercive control in intimate partner relationships. Since the nonprofit's founding, Ruth Darlene Patrick and WomenSV have helped more than a thousand individuals not only in the Silicon Valley, California area but across the country.

WomenSV serves women and children adversely affected by domestic violence. The organization offers a range of support services to victims, including a helpline, an online directory of resources, and long-term personal relationships with survivors. WomenSV also works to raise public awareness and educate professional providers in legal, medical, and social services on the issue of domestic violence.

"Education is the best form of prevention and intervention when it comes to domestic abuse," Ruth Darlene Patrick explains. "We need to ensure that survivors understand the risks of technology-facilitated abuse and that service providers are equipped with the knowledge and tools to help them."

Ruth Darlene Patrick stresses that abusers who utilize technology to control their victims are often knowledgeable about the digital world, making it difficult for victims to escape and seek help. "Abusers in this population often have the money, power, and influence to make it very difficult for a woman to escape safely, avoid crippling debt and bankruptcy, and keep custody of their children," she says.

To combat this growing problem, WomenSV offers cybersecurity education for survivors who are at risk of their technology being monitored by an abusive partner. To this end, representatives from cybersecurity organizations periodically visit WomenSV to offer survivors free education on protecting their electronics and technology.

"The healing, progress, and social change in our community will begin one woman, one child, one family at a time," Ruth Darlene Patrick asserts. "By educating survivors, service providers, and the public about the different forms of technology-facilitated abuse and the dangers that they pose, we can help break the cycle of domestic violence and create a safer, more supportive environment for those who need it most."

About WomenSV: WomenSV is a non-profit organization that works to empower survivors, train providers and educate the community to break the cycle of covert abuse and coercive control in intimate partner relationships. This organization operates with the mission of creating a world in which every woman and child can exercise their fundamental human right to live in peace, safety, and freedom in their own home.

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SOURCE: WomenSV




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