If you know someone experiencing domestic abuse, contact a local resource or national hotline for advice. Don’t offer to hide them in your home, but help them develop a safety plan and offer emotional support. If you witness violence, call the police. Learn more about domestic violence warning signs and available resources.
If you know someone is a victim of domestic abuse, you need to carefully consider how you can help them, or help them, without making the situation worse. The desire to intervene in a domestic abuse situation is a natural response, but it could put both the victim and you at risk. If the victim’s life is in immediate danger, contact the police; If the victim is not in immediate danger, contact a local resource for battered women or a national domestic abuse hotline. Qualified experts can advise you on the safest way to offer support to a victim of domestic abuse. A victim of domestic abuse should typically leave the situation, but even attempting to leave can be dangerous and must be done carefully.
If someone tells you they are experiencing domestic abuse, emphasize that you believe them and offer emotional support. Don’t judge or otherwise say things that might push her away; he needs someone he can trust. Contact a domestic abuse hotline or local shelter as soon as possible.
Unless absolutely necessary, don’t offer to hide a victim of domestic abuse in your home, as this could put you or your family in danger. A trusted friend or relative in another city is best, but it’s best to contact your local resource for battered women. Workers can arrange safe passage to a shelter in a hidden location. A shelter may also take in children of abuse victims, and some may arrange for their continued education or bus to their school.
If possible, a victim of domestic abuse should develop a safety plan, sometimes called a contingency plan, before leaving the house. First, she should decide where to go and the safest time to leave. When you are making these decisions, you should not use your home phone or computer, which could alert the attacker to your plans. Using a phone or computer at the library or at a friend’s house is safer.
He should collect personal documents, such as identity and birth certificates, or make copies if it is not safe to take the original documents. If she’s bringing the kids, she should collect their paperwork as well. She should hide a bag in a place where it won’t be accidentally discovered and not start packing until just before she leaves so that missing clothes or items don’t give her away.
A victim of domestic abuse is not always willing to leave the abuser, even when possible. You can try to convince her but, in many cases, all you can do is offer to help her if she changes her mind. Be supportive, but don’t provoke the abuser or put yourself in the middle of the situation if you can help it.
If you witness violence, call the police. In some areas, officers may press charges against an assailant even if the victim does not. Be careful, however, as this can lead the abuser to direct his wrath on you. If you are unsure whether someone is experiencing domestic abuse, inform yourself by learning more about domestic violence situations. This will help you recognize warning signs and be prepared if your suspicions are confirmed.
Most areas in the United States have hotlines or other resources that can provide assistance or advice 24 hours a day. Many of these resources also offer specialized assistance for the disabled, including helplines for the deaf. To find resources outside the United States, a person can search online for a list of international abuse organizations.
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