Our amazing San Fran-based associate Hannah Meropol guided the Washington Post through safety planning tips for domestic abuse survivors.
It’s great to be able to reach many people with these simple tips for safety planning after an abusive relationship.
Abuse always involves control. And it’s really frustrating for victims who still feel like a captive even when the relationship is over.
Survivor’s concerns are valid: We’ve seen abusers weaponize tech to spread lies against their ex on social media, try to get them fired, turn friends and family against them, share secrets and naked pictures, monitor and stalk them.
But there are things you can do to take back control. Hannah’s tips to start with include:
-Change your passwords to social media, phone apps, email, iCloud, everything – and always choose the option to log out of other browsers after resetting. Every account, especially those with super sensitive personal data (like finances, healthcare, photos, documents, email addresses) should have different, complex passwords. Avoid choosing password recovery questions to which others may know the answers.
-Set up privacy features to ask for approval before anything you’re tagged in can be posted to your timeline. Don’t post your location, and don’t let others.
-Block the person. Any efforts to get around that blocking, such as creating new accounts to add you, calling from blocked or unknown numbers, indicates escalating obsession. These attempts should be documented and included in any statement you give to the police or a lawyer.
-Use an incident tracking chart to record anything suspicious, out of the ordinary, or concerning.
“My role is to use the legal system to help clients take back control of their lives and make sure they have safety and peace of mind. I take a 360 view of my client’s experiences and priorities, and work collaboratively with them to devise the right plan. If you want to talk about your options – get in touch.” Hannah Meropol, Associate
Click here to read the article in the Washington Post.
And now:
Download our free incident tracking chart here.
Check out our free resource on 5 steps to take if you’re being stalked.
Our extensive experience enables us to gauge vulnerabilities and risk on an individual level – both in terms of the victim (or the at-risk person) and based on what we know about offender psychology and behavior escalation. We are here to help you work out a comprehensive safety plan that works for you, offer legal tools and solutions you may not have considered, and can help you get an Order of Protection in place.
Let’s talk about your options: Get in touch.