Movies and television shows love to show the conquering domestic violence victim overcoming their abuse and getting out. Often, the story ends when the DV victim leaves or gets a divorce. However, the unfortunate truth is that Tucson, Arizona, divorce seldom ends domestic violence. Instead, the abuse changes to less physical means.
How common is ongoing abuse?
One would be forgiven if they assumed that because this belief that divorce ends DV is so pervasive it must have some truth. In fact, it is unequivocally false. According to research conducted a few years ago, victims report post-separation abuse at over 90%, with some abuse lasting for decades.
Financial abuse
One of the most common forms of ongoing abuse is economic abuse. This is where the victimizer uses money and credit to hurt the victim. The most common type of economic abuse is financial abuse. This occurs when your soon-to-be ex-spouse “cuts you off.” In other words, they take you off of accounts, close out accounts and eliminate your access to cash.
Then, they limit your access to credit by closing your credit cards, taking you off of credit cards and opening up multiple new lines of credit. The goal is to punish you through destitution because you will not have access to cash or credit, in addition to limited access to employment and housing opportunities thanks to your new credit score.
Child support abuse
Another version of economic abuse is through child support abuse. In this form, the abuser is “suddenly” demoted or fired from their well-paying job. In turn, they ask for a drastic reduction in child support to put more financial pressure on you.
Emotion abuse
It may seem like this is enough, but for Tucson, Arizona, abusers, they rarely have a limit. With the economic abuse, they will then likely engage in emotional abuse. The most common form of emotional abuse is isolation. Now that they have limited your ability to participate in social activities, they will attempt to get your friends and family to stop inviting you all together.
This is done through spreading lies, taking over your social media to post terrible content, pretending to be other people and doing whatever they can to make sure you are isolated and alone. They may even go as far as sabotaging any new or budding relationships.
You do not have to take it
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are, indeed, many other ways that abusers can continue to abuse their victims after a divorce. But, the key is that you do not have to take it. Prepare for it with your Tucson, Arizona, divorce attorney.