Things You Should Know

YOU MAY BELIEVEyou are the only woman who is being battered.	YOU SHOULD KNOW that a woman is beaten every 15 seconds in the United States. Woman abuse is the most common and least reported crime in this country.

YOU MAY BELIEVE, or be told by others, that it is your fault.	YOU SHOULD KNOW that you are not the cause of someone else's violence.

YOU MAY BELIEVE all relationships involve violence.	YOU SHOULD KNOW that all relationships involve conflicts but dealing with those conflicts and anger does not have to result in violence.

YOU MAY BELIEVE that if your partner promises that the violence will never happen again, it won't.	YOU SHOULD KNOW that if nothing is done to stop it, over time, battering tends to happen more often and becomes more severe.

YOU MAY BELIEVE there is nothing you can do to change things.	YOU SHOULD KNOW that you are not alone and there are things you can do. Sorting through your options may be overwhelming, but by reaching out for the help that is there... you can do it!