Below is some advice from a specialist organisation who support women and their children who have / are experiencing domestic abuse. These are some basic safety tips to follow, if you can and if it is safe for you to do so.
- Ensure you have a safety plan in place if you are at immediate danger, or you decide you need to leave the property
- If it is safe for you to do so, pack a bag with clothing essentials, money, charger and your passport
- Let a friend of family member that you trust know that they will be your ‘safe space contact’ if anything was to happen. Make arrangements, such as somewhere safe to escape to, somewhere to stay, or so that they know they may need to collect you from an agreed place
- Identify safe areas of the house where there are no potential weapons and there are ways to escape where you can move to if you believe you may be in danger
- Try to keep weapons like knives locked away and as inaccessible as possible. Try not to wear scarves or long jewellery that could be used as a weapon
- Get in touch with a specialist support organisation. There are lots of ways you can get support, over the phone, through an online chat service or by text. See the resources list below for all of your options.