The practice of family law has changed significantly as a result of the pandemic. Since March 2020, domestic violence incidents have skyrocketed, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline has received record numbers of calls, chats, and text messages. Violence against women has increased to unprecedented levels over the past three years, particularly during lockdowns, when women were often isolated from support systems and denied access to shelter. Pennsylvania’s annual caseload statistics show a significant drop in new cases filed under the Protection from Abuse Act in 2020, likely due to court closures. However, that number increased rapidly in 2021, with the number of new applications increasing by more than 2,700 annually. And in 2022, that number increased even further, with the number of new PFA applications exceeding her 40,000. Compared to pre-pandemic 2017-2019, the number of PFA applications has increased by more than 9% through June this year. This trend is consistent with a report released by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, which found that domestic violence increased by more than 8% after lockdown orders were imposed in 2020.
Family lawyers are still dealing with an increase in domestic violence cases over the past three years. Whether as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, economic downturn, or other factors, today’s family lawyers are frequently faced with clients whose lives are at risk. During the pandemic and in the years since, there have been a number of serious incidents of conflict, and many victims of domestic violence have witnessed an increase in cyberstalking and other misuses of smart technology. I am. Nearly every Pennsylvania Superior Court appellate decision in the past two years in which a defendant has appealed her PFA findings has involved the misuse of technology to harass or intimidate victims, including This includes cases where social media serves as a conduit. What is most worrying for family lawyers? How will artificial intelligence be used to threaten the safety of ex-intimate partners? Bots already carry out abusive acts against women Used to create her AI partner.