LawHelp HTML Document

Home Page > Domestic Violence >


	Search

	Need Help with Your Search?

Find Legal Help On

Related Resources

more...

How to Stop Domestic Violence
by: New Mexico Legal Aid

Are you afraid of your husband? Are you afraid of your wife? Do you believe you will be attacked? Do you fear for your children?

Has your partner hurt you or children before? Did he/she hit you or the children before? Does he/she threaten to hurt anyone?

You are a victim of domestic violence. Now that you know that, what can you do? You should call 911. You should make a plan to escape with your children.

Where do you go to get help to make a plan? Go to a person that is a trusted friend. Tell that person what is happening. Put together a bundle of things you will need to escape. You will need some money, some cloths for you and the kids.

Get in touch with the "New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence". Go to "Community Help" in this topic. You will be able to go to their website.

Don't let any person hurt you or your children. You can get help. Call 911 OR THE POLICE right away.

This is a plan for escape taken from the Valencia Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence website.

Know where you will go and prepare an overnight bag for you and your children.
Leave money, and an extra set of keys with a trusted friend.
Leave copies of important documents with a trusted friend.
Tell your neighbors and landlord about the violence.
Tell your trusted friends about the violence.
Tell them the attacker no longer lives with you.
Tell them to call the police if they see or hear arguing or fighting from your home.
Choose a secret word with your children and trusted friends. This word will tell them to call the police.
Talk about your safety plan with your children.
Make a plan to keep them safe when you are not with them.
Get an Order of Protection (Restraining Order) to keep the attacker away from the children.
Give copies of the order to the children's school or daycare.
Give a copy to your employer.
Give a copy to security people where you work.
Tell your doctor about the abuse.
Have a record of any other steps you take to find safety and stop the violence.
Keep telephone numbers for shelter and other emergency services nearby.
Take the children with you when you leave. Always.
Call the Police and make sure a report is filed.

Domestic Violence Is A Crime!

Last Reviewed On: 06/29/04

Information Not Legal Advice. This web site has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation. Also, the law may vary from State to State, so that some information in this web site may not be correct for your jurisdiction. Finally, the information contained in this web site is not guaranteed to be up to date. Therefore, the information contained in this web site cannot replace the advice of competent legal counsel licensed in your state.

Lawyer Advertising. In some jurisdictions this web site may be considered lawyer advertising. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.

Any listing of an attorney does not constitute a recommendation of the attorney. Before hiring any attorney, you should investigate the attorney's reputation and qualifications.

Links. This web site contains links to other resources on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that we sponsor or are affiliated or associated with the persons or entities who created such site, nor are the links intended to state or imply that we are legally authorized to use any trade name, registered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected in the links.

E-mail. Viewing this Web site , or transmitting an e-mail message through this Web site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Sending e-mail to an attorney mentioned in this site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and the attorney. Unless you are already a client of the attorney, your e-mail may NOT be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Moreover, unless it is encrypted, e-mail can be intercepted by persons other than the recipient. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Many people do not check their e-mail daily, and some attorneys do not respond to unsolicited e-mail from non-clients.

LawHelp New Mexico is a project of the New Mexico Legal Aid.

LawHelp New Mexico lists legal aid and pro bono programs in New Mexico as well as provides general legal information and community resource referrals for low- and moderate-income New Mexico residents.