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SAFETY TIPS
(IF YOUR PARTNER IS VIOLENT)
- Find out where you can go for help. Tell someone what is happening
to you. Keep phone numbers of friends, relatives, and domestic violence
programs with you..
- Call the police (dial 911) or arrange a signal with a neighbor to
call the police when you are in danger and need help.
- If you go to a hospital or doctor because you are hurt by your husband
or boyfriend, tell the doctor what happened and ask him or her to document
it in your medical file. Keep any evidence of abuse, such as photos
of bruises and injuries, or ripped clothing. All of this will be helpful
if you decide to take legal action in the future.
- If you are thinking of leaving, plan Now:
- choose the safest time to get away.
- hide a spare set of keys, some money and extra clothes in case
of emergency.
- Collect important papers, including:
- birth certificates,
- passports,
- health insurance documents,
- identification or driver's license,
- immunization records for both you and your kids,
- checkbook,
- prescriptions and medication,
- food stamps,
- and Social Security cards for both you and your children.
- Also collect any evidence of your partner's assets (such as paycheck
stubs) if you plan to seek alimony or child support.
- Tell your children that, if there's violence, their job is to stay
safe, not to protect you. Find a safe place for them to stay in case
of violence, such as with a neighbor or in a locked room. Teach them
to call 911 in an emergency.
- Call one of the domestic violence hotline numbers listed below to
learn about laws, shelter, and other resources to help.
- To prevent parental kidnapping, make fingerprints of your children
and keep them in a safe place, and obtain a temporary custody order
if your partner threatens to take the children.
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