Podcast on Crimes Against Women - Stalking & Post-Separation Abuse: Understanding the Connection Between Stalking and Domestic Violence After the Relationship Has Ended

Stalking & Post-Separation Abuse: Understanding the Connection Between Stalking and Domestic Violence After the Relationship Has Ended

01/16/23 • 60 min

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes a reasonable person to fear for their safety or the safety of others. And each year, over 13 million people experience it in various ways - being followed, receiving unwanted communications or gifts, through social media, and more. And when the stalker is a former intimate partner, post-separation abuse can materialize as stalking. Rachel Gibson of the National Center for Victims of Crime leads us through the realities of stalking, its prevalence, how it manifests, how it impacts victims, how technology is weaponized by stalkers, and the steps we can take to counter these unwanted behaviors.

Rachel Gibson is the Director of the Center for Victim Service Professionals at the National Center for Victims of Crime, where she works to further the mission by supporting and overseeing NCVC’s programs for victim service professionals, providing training and technical assistance. She also is the founder of RG Williams Consulting designed to engage and support domestic violence programs and national and international gender-based agencies and non-profits that support staff of color and communities at the margins. Ms. Gibson was formerly a Senior Technology Safety Specialist on the Safety Net Team at the National Network to End Domestic Violence where she worked to increase the safety and privacy of survivors and victims of crime. There, she developed training and technical assistance and provided expert thought leadership to build the capacity of victim service providers, private industries, lawmakers, and communities at large to provide advocacy and support to survivors in this digital society. Prior to NNEDV, Ms. Gibson also worked at the National Resource Center on Reaching Victims through the Vera Institute of Justice, and at the former Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence as the Technology Safety Program Specialist.

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Navigating Civil and Criminal Justice Systems in Domestic Violence Cases

Survivors of domestic violence often lack the resources to secure legal representation in either or both civil and criminal courts. And navigating the civil and criminal justice systems can be overwhelming for survivors. What's more, offenders in criminal domestic violence cases are entitled to attorney representation while their victims are not. To address the shortcomings of systems that do not adequately address the needs of survivors, organizations like the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project have stepped up to offer no-cost legal assistance that provides a holistic approach to representation. In doing so, survivors receive more than just attorney representation, they also receive advocacy, referrals to domestic violence services and help with child custody matters. We talk with attorney Jenny Brody for an understanding of what survivors need in these cases and how they can access appropriate resources. Ms. Brody also explains the importance of domestic violence training for law enforcement, attorneys and judges and how that training can improve outcomes for survivors.

Jenny Brody has practiced family law in Washington, DC for more than ten years. As the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, from 2008 to 2016, Ms. Brody provided legal assistance to hundreds of domestic violence survivors in Civil Protection Order cases, as well as in divorce, custody and child support matters. As a member of the DC Superior Court Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect Panel, Ms. Brody represented children as a court-appointed Guardian ad litem and also represented adoptive parents in adoption petitions. Ms. Brody has devoted substantial time to improving the court system, as a participant in the DC Superior Court Domestic Relations and Domestic Violence Implementation Committees. She also played a role in promulgating Guardian ad litem Practice Standards, through the Council for Court Excellence and in DC Superior Court. Ms. Brody is a recognized expert in domestic violence and family law issues, presenting numerous training programs in these areas for lawyers, judges, social workers, medical professionals and domestic violence advocates. Prior to practicing family law, Ms. Brody worked in private practice, at Rogovin, Huge & Schiller and at Powers, Pyles & Sutter. She also served as an attorney at the United States Department of Justice, Civil Appellate Staff. She clerked for the Hon. Irving L. Goldberg, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

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Firearms & Intimate Partner Violence: A Deadly Combination

The impact of gun violence in America is well-documented as 23,000 people in the U.S. were killed by a firearm in 2021, and firearms are now considered the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. For women, the statistics are even more dire, as the presence of a gun in her home makes her 3-times more likely to be murdered. And if her abusive partner has a firearm, femicide risk increases 1,000%. More than just statistics, the lives and futures of women are increasingly at risk from the American obsession with guns coupled with its pervasive misogynistic culture.
Alicia Nichols, Deputy Director of the National Domestic Violence and Firearms Resource Center of the Battered Women’s Justice Project, joins the conversation to explore the link between firearms and lethality risk in intimate partner violence relationships, as well as the myriad responses to gun violence that will improve safety for women and keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders.