TRANSITION HOUSE

The Domestic Violence Poster Text

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviors in which an individual tries to control the thoughts, beliefs, or actions of an intimate partner or person with whom she or he has a significant relationship. It can include, but is not limited to, any or all of the following forms of abuse: physical, sexual, verbal, psychological, emotional, and financial.

If you need help with helping someone, feel free to call a Domestic Violence hotline. Many hotline calls are from friends, family or co-workers. Domestic Violence hotlines provide 24-hour support, counseling, and referrals to victims and survivors as well as their friends, family and co-workers.

Transition House 24-Hour Crisis Hotline
    617 661-7203

Massachusetts SAFELINK Hotline
    1 887 785-2020

National Domestic Violence Hotline
    1 800 799-7233 (SAFE)

Domestic Violence Is Common

In the United States 25% of women and 8% of men are raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner or date at some time in their life.¹

Domestic Violence Is Deadly

On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the U.S. every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner.²

Domestic Violence Affects the Workplace and Employees

17% of women victims of domestic violence reported feeling the effects of abuse in the workplace reflected in lateness, missed work, difficulty keeping a job, and difficulty advancing in their careers.³

Almost 75% of all working women surveyed reported being harassed (stalking, harassing phone calls, unwanted attention) at some point in their careers by current or former boyfriends or husbands.⁴

In order to create and maintain power and control over their significant other, abusers and batterers often:

• make accusations
• use pressure to get their way
• use threats
• criticize, ridicule or belittle
• push, shove, hit or smack
• refuse to take "no" for an answer
• control the money
• car or telephone
• want to know where the person is all the time
• promise never to do it again

If a co-worker needs assistance to feel safe at work:

• She or he may ask to be able to screen her or his calls or to have a co-worker answer the phone.
• If there is a restraining order, she or he might find it helpful if security or the front desk has a copy of the order and a picture of the batterer so that they can call 911 if the person shows up.
• She or he might ask for time off for court dates or medical appointments.
• She or he might need to change her hours or work location to make it harder to be traced to work.
• She or he may want her name and contact information removed from staff directories.

You can help someone who is being abused: provide support, offer referrals, ask if she or he needs assistance.

• Let her or him know that you care and want to support her or him.
• Do not tell the person what she or he needs to do. She or he is the expert on her or his own situation.
• If she or he chooses not to disclose, no further questions or speculations should be made.

If you think a friend, co-worker or family member may be abused:

• Let her or him know what you have observed ("I noticed some bruising when you came in to work on Monday and thought it might be possible that someone did this to you.")
• If she or he discloses abuse, let her or him know that no one deserves to be abused and the abuse is not their fault. There is no excuse for abuse.

Other ways to help:

• Invite Transition House to train your business or community organization about domestic violence.
• Consider organizing a food, toiletry, cell phone, or money drive to benefit Transition House.

Footnotes

1. National Institute of Justice, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, November 1998
2. www.endabuse.org, citing Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence 1993-2001, February 2003
3. EDK National Telephone Poll, 1997 - a survey for the Liz Claiborne Company
4. Family Violence Prevention Fund, 1997