Religious beliefs will and do NOT prevent battering.

Domestic violence is usually NOT a one time event or isolated incident.

Battering is a pattern, a reign of force and terror.

Once violence begins in a relationship, it gets worse and more frequent over a period of time.

Battering is NOT just one physical attack.

Battering is a number of tactics IE: Intimidation, threats, economic deprivation, psychological and sexual abuse used REPEATEDLY.

Physical violence is just one of the tactics.

Only the PERPETRATOR has the ability to stop the violence.

Many woman who are battered make numerous attempts to change their own behavior in hopes that this will STOP the abuse. THIS DOES NOT WORK.

Changes in the family members' behaviors will NOT cause or influence the batterer to be NON- VIOLENT.

Battered women do NOT always stay in violent relationships.

Many battered women leave their abusers permanently, and despite the many obstacles they succeed in building a life FREE of violence.

The perpetrator dramatically escalates his violence when a woman leaves or tries to leave, because it is necessary for him to reassert his control and ownership.

Battered women are often very active (and far from helpless) on their own behalf.

Their efforts often fail because the batterer continues to assault.

Drinking does NOT cause battering,

Assailants use drinking as one of the many excuses for violence, and as a way of putting responsibility for their violence elsewhere.

There is a 50% or higher correlation between substance abuse and domestic violence, but no casual relationship.

Stopping the assailant's drinking will NOT end his violence. Both problems MUST be addressed.

Staying for the sake of the children is NOT a reason to stay in a violent relationship!

Exposure to domestic violence will emotionally impair children.

Men who batter are usually not violent toward anyone but their partner/spouse or children.

They can control themselves sufficiently to pick a safe target.

Men often beat women in parts of their bodies where bruises will not show.

Sixty percent of battered women are beaten while they are pregnant, often in the stomach.

Many assaults last for hours.

Many assaults are planned.

Once a battered woman, always a battered woman is NOT true. Some women can, and do break the cycle most often leaving the batterer, and through counseling.

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