The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : Cyberspace Aids in Outreach to Victims of Domestic Violence, Abusive Relationships

The O.J. Simpson case has raised awareness about domestic violence in all parts of society, including cyberspace. Thanks to the interactive nature of on-line services and the Internet, victims of domestic violence can now reach out, get support from others and, in some cases, take effective action.

The most comprehensive support system I’ve seen to date is on the Prodigy service, where Christy, among other people, posted a note asking for advice on how to get out of an abusive relationship. Frances responded by recalling her own struggles with an abusive husband. A third person, Bonnie Cunningham, gave some specific advice on how the two women could break away from their destructive relationships and “explore the deeper issues” that keep them bound to abusive men. Christy wrote back, “Bonnie, you are a godsend!! I can’t tell you how much you have helped me. . . . Thanks to your support I’m not going to see him again. I don’t want to die.”

These women have never met or spoken with each other, but they’re part of an impromptu nationwide on-line support group that “meets” on a continuing basis.

Cunningham, a former battered women’s shelter coordinator, is spending more than her usual amount of time on Prodigy as she recovers from injuries suffered during the Northridge earthquake. Abuse victims who read her offers of help on the public bulletin board usually contact her by private electronic mail to avoid discussing their problems in public. Prodigy displays a member’s real name on all public bulletin board notes. So far, at least six of the women Cunningham’s helped have left their abusive partners. “Three of them are now in shelters,” she said.

Some abuse victims find on-line services to be less intimidating than calling a hot line or visiting a shelter, Cunningham said. “Besides, it’s a lot easier for a victim to quietly pour her heart out into the computer while her husband watches TV on the couch than it is to sneak over to a neighbor’s house to make a private phone call.”

Prodigy’s domestic violence topic is located on its Home Life Bulletin Board. As with other Prodigy bulletin boards, members can post questions or comments, respond to what others write or simply read what others have posted. Prodigy charges $3.60 an hour to access its bulletin boards.

America Online, CompuServe and GEnie also offer discussion groups on domestic violence, but so far they’re not as comprehensive or as easy to find as Prodigy’s. American Online members can find solace in the Better Health & Medical Forum, where they can participate in live “Abuse Survivors” conferences each Wednesday evening, or an ongoing bulletin board discussion in the “Abuse/Incest Support” folder. Discussions about “violence against women” take place in AOL’s Women’s Board.

Discussions about domestic violence on CompuServe can be found in the Survivors/Recovery and Safety/Protection sections of the Time Warner Crime Forum and in the Women’s Forum. GEnie users can find such discussions in the Survival and Recovery section of the Personal Growth RoundTable. This is a “private” area, which means you have to request admission from the system operator.

The Women’s Wire, an on-line service focused on women, offers access to the staff of the Domestic Abuse Awareness Project. Subscribers can display articles and participate in forums with groups working to combat domestic violence. For more information, call (800) 210-9999 or (415) 615-8989.

Finding help on the Internet can be tough, given the vast number of resources on this global network of networks. Most Internet providers offer access to forums, called newsgroups, where people can post and read messages from other Internet users. One newsgroup called alt.support.abuse-recovery specializes in helping people deal with various forms of abuse, including domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction and other problems. Another option is the alt.abuse.recovery newsgroup.

Those who need to deal with their own abusive behavior can try the alt.abuse.offender.recovery newsgroup. You’ll find additional discussions and shoulders to lean on in soc.women, soc.feminism and soc.men.

Going on line to find support for a personal problem can be a good choice for some people, according to Stuart Schwartz, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.

“The computer provides a sense of anonymity and distance while retaining a sense of immediacy,” he said. “But it’s not for everyone. It is by no means a substitute for a face-to-face personal intervention.”

Debbie Lee, associate director of the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund, agrees that for some people, using an on-line service is “not threatening because there is no person confronting what you are thinking.” She also appreciates its educational value for others, including people who may not be personally involved in an abusive relationship. “People are just beginning to realize that domestic violence is everyone’s business,” she said.