Crime Victims' Liaison
Appointments can be made by calling: (936) 538-7705
Abusive relationships don’t just involve bruises, broken limbs, and blackened eyes. Abuse is abuse. Don't allow anyone to dismiss or minimize your abusive relationship. You have the right to be involved in a healthy relationship. You are the light and you radiate greatness. Don't suffer in silence-- find a safe and trustworthy person to confine in. This person can be a therapist, life coach, family, friend or mentor.
If you feel that you are a victim of domestic violence please seek assistance immediately. Help is available to you anonymously and confidentially 24/7 at the Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233. If you are at imminent risk please call 911. If you decide to leave, create a confident safety plan, which would include an emergency contact, the phone number to local shelter, your IDs, your children's birth certificates, money, a packed bag, etc.
Physical Abuse: Physical abuse can possibly injury or put the person at risk of being injured. Physical abuse includes: pushing, throwing, kicking, shaking, biting, grabbing, restraining, burning, or even murder. Physical assault is a crime.
Emotional/Verbal Abuse: Involves mental, psychological, or mental abuse through verbal or nonverbal. This type of abuse consists of subtle actions or behaviors compared to physical abuse. A slap to the face may cause a black eye, but verbal and emotional abuses leave severe psychological scars. Verbal and emotional abuse includes: threatening, destruction of the victim's personal property, yelling or screaming, name calling, blaming the victim for how the abuser acts or feels or even making the victim feel that there is no way out of the relationship.
Sexual Abuse: Often linked to physical abuse which may interchange one another. Sexual abuse includes: forcing someone to participate in unwanted, unsafe, sexual activity, sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation (forcing someone to look at pornography).
Financial/Economic Abuse: Involves controlling the monetary assets of one's partner. One partner uses money as a means of controlling his or her partner. One partner may either be unemployed or underemployed while the abuser is the breadwinner. Financial abuse includes controlling the finances, withholding money or credit cards, giving out an allowance, or withholding basic necessities (food, clothes, medications, shelter).
Spiritual Abuse: Involves one partner misguiding you in the name of God and tries to control you in the name of God. Some partners use this abuse to control your mind and faith. Spiritual abuse includes psychological and emotional abuse, isolation or separation from family and friends due to religious affiliation, prevention from practicing faith or conformity to a dangerous religious viewpoint and practice.
Digital Abuse: We live in a digital world in which abuse, bullying, harassment, stalking and intimidation is all at our fingertips through text messaging and social media sites. Do not accept someone's disrespect via text or social media sites. What to watch out for: when your partner, family, or friend slanders, taunts, or bullies you through a status update on Facebook, tweets, direct messages or other messenger services. Also pay attention when your partner monitors your social media sites and tells you who you can or cannot be friends with, or when your partner checks you phone frequently to check your text, photos, and phone log.
Domestic Violence is becoming more prevalent in discussions in the media, but it is still a taboo subject within various communities. Domestic violence hurts everyone whether you are directly or indirectly affected. Many victims of domestic violence suffer in silence because they feel that they are the blame due to society and many people blaming the victim.
Domestic violence is often learned and is an inappropriate set of behaviors that one person uses to gain power and control over another. Domestic violence can occur between married and non-married couples, of any pairing or sexual orientation. 1 in 4 women are affected by domestic violence. As many as 2 out of 5 men are domestic violence victims. For many men who are domestic violence victims, abuse often goes unnoticed. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, no matter the age, sex, race, religion, education status, employment, or ethnicity. Your coworker, your neighbor, or even a family member could be a victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence doesn't discriminate!
By BrownGirlFromBoston
Coping With the Holidays After Being a Crime Victim/SurvivorJanuary is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime that affects 3.4 million victims each year. Stalking can happen to anyone, and is a crime in all 50 states. The more you know about stalking, the more you can do to stop it. Visit the Stalking Resource Center. http://www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org/
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