How to Get Help if You Are Being Abused

The following information is based on materials from the Santa Barbara Domestic Hotline, the Shelter Services for Women, and the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women.

Steps:

1. 

Call 911 for immediate help. Tell the operator it's an emergency and give your address clearly.

2. 

Call a domestic abuse hotline.

3. 

File charges against the abuser.

4. 

Get a restraining order or a protection order to keep the abuser away from you.

 Tips:

1.

Contact domestic abuse hotlines for support and help.

2.

Never blame yourself nor feel ashamed for being a victim of abuse.

Avoid relationships with known abusers.

Other Miscellaneous Information

Click on One of the Links Below to:

• Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Abuse

• Learn How to Create a Safety Plan

• Learn How to Find a Battered Women's Shelter

• Learn How to Identify a Batterer

• Learn How to Identify a Victim of Child Abuse

• Learn How to Report Child Abuse 

• Learn How to Identify a Victim of Elder Abuse

• Learn How to Avoid Becoming a Rape Victim

• Learn How to Volunteer at a Battered Women's Shelter

• Victims of Domestic Violence Tell their Stories

• Poems by Victims of Domestic Violence

• Learn About Domestic Violence Against Men

• Do You Have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

• Stress and How to Deal with It

• List of Local Physicians with Addresses and Phone Numbers

Legal Information

Click on One of the Links Below to:

• Understand Your Legal Rights as a Battered Woman

• Learn How to Get a Divorce

• Learn How to File for Child Custody

• Learn How to File a Restraining Order