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Take it back. Victims of domestic violence sometimes retract their claims against their abusers for various reasons, including being fearful of them or worrying about what may happen if and when their abuser is released from jail. However, some also recant claims of abuse out of fear of what may happen to their abuser. A recent study found abusers often play upon the emotions of their victims and are successful at convincing their victims to drop charges.
In the referenced study, researchers listened to recorded jailhouse phone calls between 17 men charged with felony domestic violence and their female partners—all of whom decided to drop the charges. The men were being held in a Washington state detention facility and about three hours of conversation between each couple was studied.
During these phone calls, the abusers minimized the abuse and emphasized feelings of depression and loneliness to their victims. In one instance, an abuser threatened suicide before the survivor promised to get him out of jail.
Most of the 17 phone calls happened in what the researchers deemed a five-step process; a process of which survivors should be aware. In this case, the study was done on male abusers, though these tactics may be used by either male or female abusers toward either male or female survivors. This study determined distinct stages to the manipulation process of the 17 males studied:
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Even after all of this, if the survivor still wishes to recant, it is important to note that the prosecution may still be able to move forward with the charges. Criminal cases such as these are usually prosecuted by a district attorney’s office. So, if the prosecutor has enough other evidence to support the charges, the case may continue.
Of course, proceeding with a case without the survivor’s testimony isn’t always possible. Also, in some cases when an abuser convinces a survivor to recant, this is considered witness tampering. Learn more about it in “ Threatened Not to Testify.” If you’re in this situation and need help, contact a local support group or speak to a trained advocate 24/7 at National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE.
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Menstruation is an experience shared by
generations of women across the globe.
Sadly, abuse is another commonly shared experience between women.
Be it physical or psychological, abuse is not OK in any form.
Period.
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