When you are leaving an abusive relationship, you may be in danger. Safety might continue to be an issue even after you’ve left the relationship. If you feel in danger, get help immediately.  Call 911. If your partner is threatening or stalking you, you can call 911 to get help. Calling 911 can ensure that you and your kids will be able to get to safety. The police might arrest your partner. Find a safe shelter. Get familiar with places that you can go to be safe. Make a list of all the places you can go. Think of friends or family who are not familiar to your partner. Find a local safehouse. Safehouses are usually maintained by nonprofit organizations. They have a secret location and are usually accessible 24 hours a day, so if you have to sneak away while your partner is sleeping, you can. They can help you coordinate with government social services to get benefits to get you started, they can help you with a court order of protection and with prosecution, and many offer counseling services. Delete your partner's phone number from your phone and unfriend them on social media. You may need to unfriend some mutual friends in order to eliminate unintentional contact. You might want to change your phone number as well, so that they can’t call you. Your abuser is familiar with your typical routines and the locations that you frequent. Change up your routines by taking different routes to work or going to new places to pursue your hobbies.  You may decide that you need to move to a new house or new town if your abuser is too close. If you feel that your children are at risk, consider moving them to a new school. A personal protection order (PPO) is a legal way to protect yourself from your abuser. It protects you from being stalked, threatened or harassed. The PPO also restricts your abuser from entering your home or disturbing you at your workplace. If you think your abuser might still try to contact you or harass you, you should use the legal system to ensure that he can’t bother you. Carry your PPO with you at all times. You may feel guilt, loneliness, depression, shame, and other feelings about your break-up. You may have been in a relationship with your abuser for a long time, and it can be difficult to move on from what is familiar. But resist returning to your abuser. Things are not going to get better. You need to put your own safety first. Be strong and patient, and give yourself time. As the saying goes, time does heal all wounds.
اطلبي المساعدة عندما تكونين في خطر. اقطعي سبل التواصل بالشريك المؤذي. غيري روتينك ومواقعك اليومية. احصلي على أمر حماية شخصي إن دعت الضرورة. قاومي العودة إلى الشريك المؤذي.