| In an emergency... |
Call 911 (or the local emergency access number in your area).
For information about free counseling and support services, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233 or TTY: (800) 787-3224.
This content was extracted from a "safety card" developed by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
For information on obtaining safety cards, contact the PCADV at (800) 932-4632 or go to www.pcadv.org. |
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Are you being abused?
Does the person you love...
- Threaten to hurt or kill you or your children?
- Put you down in public or keep you from contacting family/friends?
- Control where you go, who you talk to, and how you spend money?
- Throw, push, hit, choke, kick, or slap you?
- Say it’s your fault, promise it won’t happen again—but then it does?
- Force you to have sex when you don’t want to?
If any of this is happening to you, you are being abused.
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Plan for your safety
Be prepared...
- Know where you can get help. Keep a list of important phone numbers (police, domestic violence hotline, hospital) with you.
- Plan with your children. Identify a safe place for them (room with a lock, neighbor’s house). Let them know that their job is to stay safe, not to protect you.
- Arrange a signal with a neighbor for when you need help.
- Prepare an emergency kit that you can get to quickly. (You may want to keep it at a trusted friend’s/neighbor’s house.) Include:
- Extra set of car and house keys
- Money, food stamps, checkbook, credit card(s), pay stubs
- Birth certificates and other ID for you and your children
- Your driver’s license or other photo identification
- Social Security card or green card/work permit
- Health insurance cards, medications for you and your children
- Deed or lease to your house or apartment
- Any court papers or orders
- Change of clothes for you and your children
- Plan the safest time to get away. Know which doors, windows, etc. provide escape. Practice with your children for an emergency.
- Get medical help and tell what happened. Ask them to document it. Have the doctor, nurse, or a friend take pictures of your injuries/bruises. Save any ripped or bloody clothes.
- Talk to someone about what you can do next. Call a 24-hour domestic violence program hotline.
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Help is available
You can get free and confidential help and information from a domestic violence program in your area.
Services include:
- 24-hour hotlines
- Court and emergency room assistance
- Individual and group counseling
- Shelters/safe homes
- Children’s counseling/programs
- Help with welfare application
Domestic violence programs can help you develop a safety plan. All contact with domestic violence programs is confidential.