Massachusetts spouses can become stalking victims
If you are filing for divorce due to domestic violence, any interactions with your abusive spouse when dropping off and picking up the kids can be fraught with danger. Even if no violence occurs, it is still a time of heightened anxiety and stress.
Spouses and partners of abusers don't have to feel like victims any longer, however. The Massachusetts courts can issue protective orders to keep abusive spouses away, and the National Center for Victims of Crime offers assistance as well. Their Stalking Resource Center provides some insight on how to make visitation and custody transfers safer and easier.
Even if the abusive partner didn't engage in stalking behaviors during the marriage, the change of familial circumstances can be the catalyst for this type of behavior. Your family law attorney can petition the court to order custody transfers to take place at a supervised safe exchange location.
This is not always the best solution in all cases because it provides the stalker with a blueprint of their victim's schedule for at least a portion of that day. Engaging a neutral third party to make the custody transfers is one option to consider.
The advent of technology has given stalkers new tools to monitor and harass. It is relatively simple for a stalker to download undetectable software onto smartphones or other electronic devices that are used by the children. They can even give the kids presents with tiny GPS devices, recorders or cameras embedded in them to spy on their exes in their own homes.
Parents should be aware if their ex suddenly knows intimate details of the goings-on of the household or is aware of conversations that were held in private or over their children's phones. If electronic surveillance is suspected, they can have the electronics scanned for spyware or remove any new gifts from the household.
To remain safe, it is important to share any stalking concerns with your attorney. He or she can then report any credible suspicions to the court.
Source: Victimsofcrime.org, "A Guide for Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Programs," accessed March. 26, 2015
