It is a crime for any person to
cause you any harm or physical injury even if that person is a member or
former member of your family or household. If you are abused, contact your
local police.
After the police arrive, you
should tell the investigating officer if you, your child, or any other
household resident has been injured. You should also tell the officer if you
feel that you are going to be in danger after the officer leaves.
Signs &
Symptoms of Abuse
Domestic violence is almost
always about the abuser trying to assert their power over their victims by
using physical or sexual abuse. The abuse usually starts small and then
escalates.
You are abused if:
-
You are called names, ridiculed, or put down. -
You are not
free to come and go as you wish.
-
You are
followed everywhere you go.
-
You are pushed,
slapped, kicked, strangled, or manhandled in any way.
-
Someone
threatens you.
-
Someone damages
your possessions.
Abusers assert their power
by:
-
Using Coercion & Threats
-
Threatening to leave her.
-
Threatening to report her to
welfare.
-
Threatening to commit suicide.
-
Threatening to hurt her.
-
Coercing her to drop her abuse
charges.
-
Coercing her to do illegal
things.
-
Using
Intimidation
-
Making her afraid by using
looks, actions, & gestures.
-
Making her afraid by smashing
things & destroying property.
-
Making her afraid by abusing
pets.
-
Making her afraid by displaying
weapons.
-
Using Isolation
-
Controlling what she reads.
-
Controlling where she goes.
-
Limiting her outside
involvement.
-
Controlling who she can see &
who she can talk to.
-
Controlling everything that she
does.
-
Using jealousy to justify their
own actions.
-
Using Emotional Abuse
-
Making her feel bad about
herself.
-
Making her feel guilty.
-
Putting her down & calling her
names.
-
Making her think that she is
crazy.
-
Playing mind games.
-
Humiliating her.
-
Using Economic Abuse
-
Preventing her from getting or
keeping a job.
-
Taking any money that she
receives.
-
Making her ask him for any
money she needs.
-
Not letting her know about or
have access to the family income.
-
Using Male Privilege
-
Making all of the decisions.
-
Treating her like a servant.
-
Acting like the Master of the
Castle.
-
Being the one to define the man's
and woman's roles in the family.
-
Using
Children
-
Making her feel guilty about
the children.
-
Using the children to relay
messages.
-
Using visitation to harass her.
-
Threatening to lie about her to
child protective services.
-
Threatening to take her children
away.
-
Minimizing, Denying, & Blaming
You have a right to:
-
Ask the local prosecutor to
file a criminal complaint against the person who committed the family
violence. -
Apply to a court for an order
to protect you. You may want to consult with a legal aid office, a
prosecuting attorney, or a private attorney. If a family or household member
assaults you and is arrested, you may request a Magistrates Order for
Emergency Protection be issued. Please inform the investigating officer if
you want a Magistrates Order for Emergency Protection. You do not have to be
present when the order is issued. A violation
of certain provisions of court-ordered protection may be considered a
felony.
The court can order that:
-
The abuser not commit
further acts of violence. -
The abuser not
threaten, harass, or contact you at home. -
The abuser leave your
household. -
The abuser not interfere with
your children or property and it can give temporary custody of the children
to you.
Family
Violence Facts
-
A woman is battered every 12
seconds. -
Women are six times more likely
than men to experience violence committed by an intimate partner. -
An average of seven women die
every day at the hands of their partner. -
42% of murdered women are killed
by their intimate partner. -
Battering causes more injury to
women than auto accidents, muggings, and rapes combines.
For Help Call
940-325-1306
Our shelter is
located in Mineral Wells, Texas which is about 52 miles west of Fort Worth. If
you need to find a shelter which is located closer to your area, please
click this link and you will be taken to a list of all the shelters in
Texas.
Would you like to help make a
difference in your community?
Call the phone number
above if you would like to volunteer your time
or make a donation to Hope, Inc.
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