Domestic violence in the US is increasingly worrying experts and the community in general, as according to studies, cases continue to increase.
And it is that, one in two people in California has been exposed to domestic violence according to a study by the Blue Shield Foundation of California. In addition, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at the national level, one in four women and one in four men have experienced violence from their partner.
Within the framework of this phenomenon, experts met at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services, in which they discussed domestic violence through technology and coercive control.
"More than half of Californians have experienced domestic violence first hand, it really is everywhere, which is concerning," said Jenna Lee, communications officer for the Blue Shield Foundation of California.
Lee explained that there is a wide range of abusive behaviors and that "domestic violence can also be emotional, financial, technological, legal, and social," further pointing out that these controlling behaviors can be summed up as what experts call "coercive control."
The causes of domestic violence are multiple, however its roots are found in the structure of society and have been presented in racism, economic and gender inequality.
According to the Blue Shield Foundation, 70 percent of people who have used violence have also experienced it as witnesses or survivors.
In this sense, Lee pointed out that one of the biggest problems of domestic violence is the romanticization of it through television shows.
"Domestic violence is a cycle and that cycle requires healing and prevention," she said.
For her part, Pallavi Dhawan, director of Domestic Violence Policy at the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, pointed out that “domestic violence goes far beyond physical abuse, it is a pattern of behaviors to gain control over other people. ».
In addition, she stressed that it is important to recognize that domestic violence and coercive control occurs in all cultures, however women from communities of color and immigrants are the most affected, and the most refusal to ask for help.
"Coercive control is reinforced by not asking for help," he pointed out, while noting the need to recognize that domestic violence is not only about beatings but also about other types of abuse.
Erica Olsen, director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence NNEDV, commented that those who perpetrate domestic violence also use technology to harass, threaten, post personal content and even make use of their bank accounts in order to cause fear in the victims.
"We believe that every survivor has the right to use technology in a safe and meaningful way... without fear of being harassed," she said.
Likewise, Olsen pointed out that phones, social networks and messaging platforms are the most used by abusers to cause harm and suggested the creation of programs to achieve digital equity, consent and respect.
For her part, Deborah D. Tucker, president of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence ?NCDSV, for its acronym in English? He commented that according to a study carried out in Texas, 80 percent of the people who had committed domestic violence lived in a home where said problem prevailed.
"80 percent of the people we jailed for murder grew up having to deal with using violence against themselves or someone they loved very early in their life," he said.
Tucker concluded by saying that everything is interconnected and that it is necessary to take it into account in order to end domestic violence.
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