What should I do if I am being threatened or attacked in my home?

• Stay away from the kitchen, where the abuser can find weapons such as knives.
• Stay away from bathrooms, closets, or small spaces where your abuser can trap you.
• Get to a room with a door or window.
• Get to a room with a phone to call for help; lock your abuser outside if you can.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help.
• If a police officer comes, tell him/her what happened and get his/her name and badge number.
• Get medical help if you are hurt.
• Take pictures of any bruises or injuries.
• Call a domestic violence program or shelter; ask them to help you make a safety plan and/or get an order of protection.

How can I protect myself at home?

• Learn about places in your community where you can go to get help.
• Learn and memorize emergency phone numbers.
• Keep a phone in a room you can lock from the inside; if you can, get a cellular phone that you keep with you at all times.
• Plan an escape route out of your home; teach it to your children.
• Think about where you would go if you needed to escape your home quickly.
• Talk to your neighbors to set up a signal that lets them know to call the police. For example, a shade is pulled down or a certain light is on.
• Pack a bag with important things you would need if you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you trust.
• Make sure the bag has cash, car keys and other important information, such as court papers, passports or birth certificates, medical records and medicines.
• Take a good self defense course.

• Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house.
• Get an unlisted phone number.
• Use an answering machine to screen your calls.
• If your abuser moved out, change the locks on your doors and windows.

How can I help my children be safe?

• Teach them to not get in the middle of a fight, even if they want to help.
• Teach them how to get to safety, to call 911, and to give your address and phone number to the police.
• Teach them who to call for help.
• Tell them to stay out of the kitchen during arguments.
• Give the principal at the school or daycare center a copy of your order of protection, if you have one; tell them not to release your children to anyone without talking to you first; use a password so they can be sure it is you on the phone; give them a photo of your abuser.
• Make sure the children know who to tell at school if they see the abuser.
• Make sure the school knows not to give your address or phone number to anyone.

How can I protect myself outside of my home?

• Change your regular travel habits.
• Try to get rides with different people.
• Bank and shop at different places.
• Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you shared with the abuser; open new accounts at a different bank.
• Keep a cell phone; program it to 911 or other emergency numbers.
• If you have an order of protection, keep it with you at all times. Bring the order of protection with you if you have to travel to another state; it is valid everywhere.

How can I protect myself at work?

• If you have an order of protection, keep a copy of it with you at work.
• Give a picture of your abuser to security guards and friends at work.
• Tell your supervisors about your abuser; see if they can make it harder for your abuser to find you.
• Don't go to lunch alone.
• Ask a security guard or co-worker to walk you to your car or bus.
• If your abuser contacts you at work, save the voice mail or email.
• Your employer may be able to help you find community resources.

If I have to go to court against my abuser, how can I protect myself?

• Sit as far away from the abuser as you can.
• Ask the sheriff or judge to keep the abuser there for a while when court is over; leave
  quickly.
• If you think the abuser is following you when you leave, call the police
  immediately.
• Bring a friend or relative with you to court.

Where can I get help?

• To find a domestic violence program or shelter near you, contact the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence at (406) 443-7794 or 1-888-404-7794, or visit their Website at www.mcadsv.com
• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• Call the USA National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Revised 7/04

Call the MLSA HelpLine for legal assistance:
(800) 666-6899

Montana Legal Services Association
616 Helena Avenue, Suite 100
Helena, Montana 59601
(406) 442-9830
(800) 666-6124