Getting
Help
If you need immediate
assistance, dial 911.
The
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Operated by the Texas
Council on Family Violence.
Domestic violence
is a pervasive problem in virtually all countries, cultures, classes and income
groups. It is a complex and multifaceted problem with individual solutions that
are appropriate for different women in different socio-cultural contexts.
Both short and
long-term measures must be considered. Short-term measures consist of assistance
programs that protect the individual woman who has been or is being abused. They
often focus on the critical period after a woman leaves her home, providing her
with food, shelter, and guidance. This is the period when a woman is most
at-risk from the perpetrator seeking retribution, or when she might return to
the home out of a sense of hopelessness. Long-term measures seek to educate the
public and empower the woman to re-establish her life without violence.
Any response should
involve an interrelationship between the health, legal and social sectors, so
that the woman is not continually referred to another agency. One innovative
approach is the use of "family crisis centers," or "victim advocates" to act as
the woman's link to the various sectors.
Support can come in various
forms:
Crisis
Intervention:
-
crisis
intervention services
-
crisis hot lines
-
shelters or other
emergency residential
-
facilities
-
medical services
-
transportation
networks
-
laws that allow
either
-
victims or
perpetrators to be removed from the home
Emotional Support:
Advocacy and Legal
Assistance:
-
access to and
custody of children
-
property matters
-
financial support
-
restraining
orders
-
public assistance
benefits
-
help with
immigration status
Other Supportive
Services:
This section was adapted from material provided by the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
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