How to Help Battered Women

Often, a battered woman will believe that she has no choice but to stay with the husband or boyfriend who is abusing her. This sort of thinking often results in the risk of serious injuries or even death. However, with your assistance, a battered woman can find freedom and safety away from her abuser.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Help Battered Women Across the Country

1. Organize an event or fund-raiser during October, the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Set up displays to raise awareness and encourage abused women to seek assistance. Donate the money that you earn to a local women's shelter.

2. Volunteer your time at a local women's shelter, which can be a safe place for battered women.

3. Become a National Domestic Violence Hotline advocate by visiting the NDVH website (see Resources below). You can become one of the staffers who answers some of the thousands of calls that the hotline receives each month. This important service gives abused women a listening ear and a person who will help them create safety plans and identify nearby shelter.

4. Become a member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which raises awareness and helps women across the country escape from abusive relationships (see Resources below).

5. Donate money, phones or cars through the NDVH website.

Help a Battered Woman You Know

6. Talk to your friend or family member if you suspect that she is being abused. She may not want to admit that abuse is taking place. If this occurs, assure her that you are there whenever she might want to talk.

7. Listen to what she has to say and her feelings about what has occurred. Instead of judging her or the man who is abusing her, talk to her about her options.

8. Support the woman in whatever decisions she makes, but tell her if you believe she is in danger. She may be too fearful to take action immediately, but do remind her that an abusive relationship is likely to grow worse over time.

9. Encourage her to have an emergency plan in place. Provide her with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1 (800) 799-SAFE, and remind her to call 911 if she ever feels in physical danger.

10. Help her put together a bag of crucial items, such as keys, personal documents and medications, that she could grab if she ever needed to leave the house in a hurry.

11. Research safe places that she could stay, such as a woman's shelter. If she makes the decision to report the abuse, offer to support her by accompanying her to the safe place.

Tips & Warnings

• Never confront a friend's or family member's abuser. This is something that should be left to professionals, such as the police.
• Don't neglect your own feelings and safety. If you have concerns, talk to a counselor experienced with abuse without revealing your friend's name.

Resources

• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence