My comments regarding domestic violence/abuse might already have been taken into account - if so, please disregard.
It's just that I've seen this go horribly wrong on forums, without very close moderation and posting guidelines. If people who haven't been through the same thing have access to the forum, they can often post things with the best intentions that are unhelpful and possibly damaging. I've seen it happen in occasional posts here, and many times elsewhere.
I think it's very hard to understand the dynamics of DV if you haven't been there. I haven't been there, and I find it very hard to understand (I know that's my own limited knowledge and experience, so I don't mean it as a judgement). The natural thing for those of us who don't get it is to want to post things along the lines of "wake up to what's going on and get away, for the sake of your children", without realising that the situation is much more difficult than that.
A particular problem is that adult children of an abusive parent (which describes a number of us here) may or may not be able to see why their other parent stayed, and may feel strongly if they see someone else writing about an abusive partner. It can get ugly and not what survivors of DV, or those still in an abusive relationship, need.
I'd also suggest an area that focuses on how to stay away after getting away. I don't know how many times I've seen people who've been supported in real life and by other forum members (on a different forum) through an intense drama of finding their way to safely leaving, then afterwards they start wavering online about going back. I know intellectually that it's part of the whole abuse dynamic, and possibly combined with the effects of earlier abuse or neglect. It's a very sensitive area, though, and while there's support online and in real life for escape plans etc, there doesn't seem to be so much for the emotional and psychological fallout that can happen afterwards.
Just my tuppence worth.
