It's Really Only a Purple World

It's Time To Talk: A Series of Discussions with People Who are Making A Difference Regarding Domestic Violence and Teen Dating Abuse: Discussion 3 of 7 - Cindy Southworth, Founder/Director Safety Net Project


I sat down with Cindy Southworth, MSW, who is the Founder and Director of " The Safety Net Project" a division of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  She was very vocal about the fact that technology has not increased the incidence of domestic violence in this country and in fact aids in prosecution .It often leaves an electronic evidence trail in the case of texts, emails, and social media postings ie: Facebook, MySpace, etc.

She was also insistent about the need to create a space for discussions when talking to your child about teen dating violence and that it was important " not to have a knee-jerk" reaction in the presence of your child when something disturbing comes to the surface.

She did point out that victims of dating abuse can access lots of valuable information online, but that one should always be aware of the use of Spyware for tracking purposes on phones and computers.  She told me about a program that places safe computers in domestic violence centers that is accessible to those still living with their abusers that can be used to safely communicate, plan, and learn.

Thank you Cindy for allowing me to see technology in a whole new context!


“I received a $50 Juicy Couture gift card in conjunction with participating in Liz Claiborne’s “It’s Time To Talk” day.”