there are things you CAN DO to make yourself and your family safer.
If you are at home & you are being threatened or attacked:
� Stay away from the kitchen (the abuser can
find weapons, like knives, there)
� Stay away from bathrooms, closets or small
spaces where the abuser can trap you
� Get to a room with a door or window to
escape
� Get to a room with a phone to call for help;
lock the abuser outside if you can
� Call 911 (or your local emergency number)
right away for help; get the dispatcher's name
� Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help
� If a police officer comes, tell him/her what
happened; get his/her name & badge number
� � � � �
� Get medical help if you are hurt
� Take pictures of bruises or injuries
� Call a domestic violence program or shelter
(some are listed here); ask them to help you
make a safety plan
To find out where to get help in your area, CALL the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
Protection or Restraining Orders
� Ask your local domestic violence program who can help you get a civil protection order and who can help you with criminal prosecution
� Ask for help in finding a lawyer In most places, the judge can:
� Order the abuser to stay away from you or your children
� Order the abuser to leave your home
� Give you temporary custody of your children & order the abuser to pay you temporary child support
� Order the police to come to your home while the abuser picks up personal belongings
� Give you possession of the car, furniture and other belongings
� Order the abuser to go to a batterers intervention program
� Order the abuser not to call you at work
� Order the abuser to give guns to the police
If you are worried about any of the following,
make sure you:
� Show the judge any pictures of your injuries
� Tell the judge that you do not feel safe if the abuser comes to your home to pick up the children to visit them
� Ask the judge to order the abuser to pick up and return the children at the police station or some other safe place
� Ask that any visits the abuser is permitted are at very specific times so the police will know by reading the court order if the abuser is there at the wrong time
� Tell the judge if the abuser has harmed or threatened the children; ask that visits be supervised;
think about who could do that for you
� Get a certified copy of the court order
� Keep the court order with you at all times
� Learn where to get help; memorize emergency
phone numbers
� Keep a phone in a room you can lock from the
inside; if you can, get a cellular phone that you
keep with you at all times
� If the abuser has moved out, change the locks
on your door; get locks on the windows
� Plan an escape route out of your home; teach it
to your children
� Think about where you would go if you need to
escape
� Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see
the abuser at your house; make a signal for them
to call the police, for example, if the phone rings
twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on
� Pack a bag with important things you'd need if
you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or
give it to a friend or relative you trust
� Include cash, car keys & important information
such as: court papers, passport or birth
certificates, medical records & medicines,
immigration papers
� Get an unlisted phone number
� Block caller ID
� Use an answering machine; screen the calls.
or your local police emergency number
American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence & American Bar Association Tort & Insurance Practice Section.
For more info. about help in your area call:
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
� Show the prosecutor your court orders
� Show the prosecutor medical records about your injuries or pictures if you have them
� Tell the prosecutor the name of anyone who is helping you (a victim advocate or a lawyer)
� Tell the prosecutor about any witnesses to injuries or abuse
� Ask the prosecutor to notify you ahead of time if the abuser is getting out of jail.
� Change your regular travel habits
� Try to get rides with different people
� Shop and bank in a different place
� Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you
shared; open new accounts at a different bank
� Keep your court order and emergency
numbers with you at all times
� Keep a cell phone & program it to 911 (or other
emergency number)
� Keep a copy of your court order at work
� Give a picture of the abuser to security and friends at work
� Tell your supervisors - see if they can make it
harder for the abuser to find you
� Don't go to lunch alone
� Ask a security guard to walk you to your car or
to the bus
� If the abuser calls you at work, save voice mail
and save e-mail
� Your employer may be able to help you find
community resources.
If you do not have a church that you go to or belong to, find one!!! They will not turn you away! Remember that Jesus loves you, and will protect, deliver, and shield you from all evil...
you only have to ask!
