Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

Same. Even if I wasn't a survivor of domestic violence (more than once) I'd still be capable of easily seeing that #AmberHeardIsAnAbuser.

Her behavior actually triggers many DV survivors. I can only watch her in small doses. Folk have got to stop with their sexist lens.

1/x

https://twitter.com/Jokomomola8/status/1527765730443272192

I find it so cringeworthy that many people still view DV in a sexist way, where male abusers and female targets are the norm and they can't (won't) get their heads around any other gender combination. It's sick. Stop it.

And while I'm at it, stop calling us victims. We are survivors. IMO, the term victim applies only to those who were killed by their abuser(s).

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is only one type of DV...

DV and related issues are studied by academic researchers around the world.

The legal definition of DV varies between jurisdictions. In New Zealand, CAN, UK it is defined more broadly than in the US and, IMO, the US needs to urgently update it's whole approach to DV...

AFAIK, in NZ, you can seek a DV protection order about:

>Any family member, however long ago you lived together
>Intimate partners, even if it was a one night stand
>Roommates in a home (not a college dorm.)

I've survived all 3 kinds of DV.

The US federal Violence Against Women Act is woefully out of date.

Other countries' laws include the male minor children of a survivor, for example. And LGB relationships. And female on male abuse.

And the associates of the abuser can be named in the order, too.

Because abusers can (and often do) recruit others to channel abuse through to the target. Look up the DV terms "lieutenants" and "flying monkeys."

DV "spillover" into the workplace is also a major problem. Employers need good policies to protect everyone from this kind of harm.

I have written Twitter threads about cases in the US where a DV abuser went to their target's place of work to murder the target, or others, or both. Employers have a duty to protect all staff and other users of their premises. Don't risk it happening to you. Please.

DV and similar types of crime are in fact a public health issue. That means all of us in a society have a responsibility to give a damn about it, and vote accordingly. At a minimum. Survivor and/or prevention services can always do with more donations and volunteer hours.

Survivors of any age need tailored, professional services, including talk therapy & medical care (such as injury treatment but also consideration of medical options for managing the mental health issues that typically arise.)

I had effective group therapy with other survivors.

To cut to the chase: The main reason that willfully ignorant people allow themselves to see DV with a male-on-female bias is the frozen-in-time 1970s Duluth Model.

theduluthmodel.org/what-is-the-du…

All who work in DV prevention & response need to really reflect on the Duluth Model & with any luck, ditch it completely. Drag yourselves into the 2020s, please.

Thank you Johnny Depp for exposing this problem for all to see. Whatever the outcome, TY.✌️
safeharborsc.org/who-is-affected