💥 What is domestic violence?

Under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, any harm, threat, control, or improper treatment, physical, psychological/emotional, or economic, between family members may constitute domestic violence.

🧍‍♀️ Physical

Acts such as hitting, shoving, restricting freedom, or attacking with objects, behaviors that directly cause bodily injury or threats.

🗣 Psychological / Emotional

Verbal insults, threats and intimidation, silent treatment/stonewalling, surveillance or eavesdropping. Even without visible injuries, these behaviors can keep someone in long-term anxiety, fear, and self-denial.

💰 Economic

Often overlooked but deeply consequential. It deprives a person of economic autonomy and makes it harder to leave an abusive relationship. Common situations include: withholding living expenses or giving only a token amount; forbidding a partner to work or earn money; forcing them to hand over income or bank accounts; controlling every expense and shaming their spending; coercing loans, guarantees, or transfers of assets.

❤️‍🔥Sexual

Forcing nude photos; forcing the filming of sex acts; forcing someone to watch sexual videos; forcing sexual activity. In fact, any coerced, unwanted, or inappropriate sexual behavior is sexual violence.

📣No matter the form, if it makes you feel afraid or uncomfortable, or deprives you of basic freedom and dignity, it should not be tolerated.

We understand pets are family.

Policies vary by county and by shelter, and we’ll work with you to find a solution.

No. Entering a shelter does not mean you must make any particular decision.

This is a place to catch your breath, first keep yourself safe, then take time to think about next steps.

📍If you are in immediate danger, leave right away, you don’t need to prepare anything.

📞 In an emergency, call 110 or 113.

🚪If you are preparing to leave:

1.Getting to a safe place is your top priority.

2.Choose an appropriate time to leave and avoid drawing the abuser’s attention.

3.Seek help from the police first.

4.Pack a small bag: IDs (e.g., National ID, NHI card, ARC), mobile phone, medications, and a change of clothes.

5.Avoid revealing your whereabouts on social media and turn off location services on your phone.

When you’re unable to leave yet, you still need to protect yourself.

1.Avoid danger and keep yourself safe.

2.Find a chance to contact 113 or 110 to discuss your situation and options.

3.Identify risks: situations like financial strain, caregiving stress, alcohol use, talking about divorce, child custody, applying for a protection order, or suspected infidelity can all trigger new conflicts.

4.Pack a small bag: IDs (e.g., National ID, NHI card, ARC), mobile phone, medications, and clothing.

5.Learn your escape routes, and agree on a code word with a trusted person as a distress signal.

6.If you browse domestic-violence resources online, remember to clear your browsing history to avoid alerting the other party that you’re preparing to leave.

When someone close to you is facing domestic violence, your presence is powerful.

1.Respect their pace: Talking together about “how to be safer” is already helpful.

2.Listen to their feelings: Believe their experiences and emotions.

3.Spot the danger: When or which people make them feel unsafe?

4.Prepare essentials: In case they need to leave, IDs, children’s items, a small bag, etc.

5.Encourage help-seeking: Call 113, and reach out to the local Domestic Violence Prevention Center.

Whatever your friend decides, your trust and companionship are the strength that helps them keep going.