A concensious of many professionals in the area of psychology including attorneys have stated that a lack of knowledge and training exists in the court industry when it comes to Domestic Violence.
Most courts only view the physicality of allegations of abuse. But far worse are the mental scars these victims will carry for the rest of their lives.
Even though South Carolina laws mention mental abuse, there is no clear definition of what mental abuse is to the courts.
Moreover, is the lesser known Abusers called by psychologists “Covert Abusers”. These are the mental monsters who begin their rain of horrors on their victims with “Love Bombing”.
This is a tactic used to make the victim feel that the only person who sees their worth is the abuser. And for many victims the tragic end is mental health issues ranging from PTSD to complete metal breakdown and even suicide.
And some victims continue to seek out these Abusers, because it has become a normal aspect of life for them.
The number of unreported domestic abuse involving covert abusers is staggering. What is more shocking are the covert abusers who get away with victimizing due to the lack of legal protection for the victims.
It is not always a fact that these sort of abusers escalate with time to physical attacks, but many times it does reach to that point. And once again these victims have normalized these horrific actions from their abusers by believing that they are loved.
So what is the answer to stop the abuse? Many say it’s modification of the laws to give a defined explanation of mental abuse. And to give these victims intense counseling and psychological help to prevent these victims from falling pray again.