In one of the most famous and public trials between a divorced couple so far, all eyes were on Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, two Hollywood actors once in love, who claimed that the other committed violence against them.
But the jury’s mixed verdict was largely in Depp’s favor, and the public court seemed to be on the side of the best-known actor to play a naughty but esteemed pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Internet detectives and influencers went out of their way to dismantle Heard’s testimony in support of Depp.
But advocates for survivors of domestic violence described the whole trial as a spectacle, causing more harm than good and saw no reason to celebrate it at its conclusion. Instead, they warned that the course of the trial, and its outcome, had harmed the cause of dealing with domestic violence and helping its victims.
Michelle Sacks, director of training at the Houston Area Women’s Center, said the coverage of the trial was unavoidable, visible everywhere, from cell phone screens to TVs in doctor’s offices to newspapers and magazines on cash lines. from grocery stores. For some survivors of domestic violence, this served as a trigger, especially for those who are considering presenting their stories for the first time.
“I am just happy to be here. So if you think about survivors who have tried to heal in private, that definitely, you know, can sometimes lead to a traumatic response, “he said.
He said he hoped the outcome of the trial would not affect those who want to tell their own stories.
“It simply came to our notice then that this was not the case. I think this is very important to convey, just to believe anyone who can reveal something to you. And if you know someone is struggling, let them know that they don’t deserve it, that it’s not their fault, and that services are available. It doesn’t have to be anything that is current. “
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women and one in nine men suffer from severe domestic violence, while one in three women and one in four men have suffered some form of physical violence from domestic violence. an intimate couple.
Some online track commenters suggested that both parties were wrong and attributed it to a deeply toxic relationship, where responsibility should be shared equally. But Sacks said relationship violence is not always easy.
“Right now I will tell you that there is always, always, a primary aggressor. So sometimes what we see is that if there is some kind of violence on both sides, it could be that you have the main [aggressor] and that the secondary only responds to what is happening.
“It’s not easy to try to figure it out. I’m not saying there’s that magic formula. It definitely takes a lot of work to try to figure it out.”
Marta Prada Peláez, executive director of the Family Violence Prevention Services in San Antonio, Texas, said it was important to consider power dynamics. This power could be determined by who is physically older, more famous, or richer.
“Johnny Depp is the pirate of the Caribbean. He is [Edward] Scissor hands. He is an adorable monster. There’s an element of sympathy that you develop because the character has been made to do it for you emotionally. So I think he took advantage of it. In a relationship where there is domestic violence, there can never be two abusers or two victims. That doesn’t happen. This is not domestic violence. Domestic violence has only one abuser. “
Despite his best efforts to avoid trial, Peláez called it an unnecessary spectacle in which there were no winners and the only losers were the victims of domestic violence.
He said he hoped the trial would not affect survivors or make them emotionally backward, and recalled that this was a trial that determined whether someone was defamed or not, whether someone was physically abused or not.
“We cannot allow victims to resort to any intention of seeking help and resources just because this has happened. It will be more difficult.
“They are no longer confident in the system. All systems have failed them over and over again. “