- If you are being abused and need a safe person to talk to, please call your local domestic violence program, such as Advocates for Victims of Assault. You are not alone and you don’t have to go through this by yourself. All domestic violence programs have staff who can help you think through the things you need to stay safe. They can help you make a safety plan or get a protection order. Domestic Violence Advocates believe that you are the expert on your own life.
- Talk about your situation with a friend or relative you trust. That person may be able to offer you support. Establish a code word or sign that you can use to let friends, family, teachers, or co-workers know when to call for help.
- Plan with your children. Identify a safe place for them, such as a room with a lock or a neighbor’s house. Assure them that their job is to stay safe, not to protect you.
- If you feel safe to leave take important items with you. You may want to pack these items in advance and keep them at the home of a friend or relative.
Important items may include:
- Passports, green cards, work permits
- Lease agreements/House deed
- Birth, marriage and/or divorce certificates
- Address book
- ID card or Driver’s license
- Medicine
- School and medical records
- Keys (house, car, office)
- Insurance Papers
- Clothes
- Money (cash, bankbooks, credit cards)
- Pictures or other sentimental items
- Car registration
- Your children’s favorite toys
- If your abuser has moved out, change the locks on your doors and get locks for the windows.
- Screen your calls and/or get Caller ID.
- Consider changing your phone number and/or trading in your mobile phone. Be alert to GPS tracking.
- Your home computer use may be monitored, consider using a different computer at a different location.
- Change passwords, and create a new and anonymous email address.
