Abuse and Violence
Am I at Risk?
Does your partner
- get jealous when you are around other people
- call you names and make fun of you in front of your friends and family
- destroy or threaten to hurt you, your children or your pets
- make you choose between him and your family/friends
- put you down/ blame you when things go wrong
- threaten to take the children
- push you around or hit you
- isolate you from family and friends
- gets angry if things aren’t just right for him
- try to run your life
If you answered YES to some of these questions, you are in an abusive relationship…and you may be at risk that the abuse will get worse.
Make a Safety Plan
To get to safety and stay safe, think ahead about the following:
- family/ friend I can stay with
- list of emergency numbers
- bag with emergency items for me and the children (store it with a friend, neighbour or relative for safety)
- copies of papers (eg. birth certificates, medicare card) in a safe place like with a friend
- spare house and car key
- credit card and emergency cash in a safe place
- ask friend or family member to pick me up if I ask
- find a place to leave pets if I need to keep them safe
- ask neighbours/ friends to call police if they hear a disturbance
- warning signal to let neighbour/friend know I need help
- contact a women’s shelter and lawyer about my situation
Safety Planning After You Leave
You may still need to think about your safety and the safety of your children. Consider the following actions:
- secure locks on my doors and windows
- do not give my partner a key
- get an unlisted phone number
- talk with the phone company about privacy and safety features they offer
- get answering machine to record calls from abuser
- talk to my children about answering the door and phone
- talk to my children about my safety plan for them
- talk to day care staff/ teachers about who is allowed to pick up the children or visit them
- let others know I no longer live with my partner
- take different routes: to work, to pick up children, to go shopping
- talk to a friend, family member, neighbour, co-worker or employer about my current situation – have someone I can call for help
- contact a lawyer or the domestic legal aid program
Phone Numbers/Web Sites
- In an emergency - 911
- For help ending abuse, contact a local Family Violence Coordinator, transition house or other social service agency
(check the “abuse information” pages - front of telephone book) - Chimo Help Line 1-800-667-5005
- Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick (Information about family violence and the law) www.legal-info-legale.nb.ca or 1-888-236-2444
Produced by PLEIS-NB
Disclaimer: Please note that our website contains general information about the law. This is not a complete statement of the law on particular topics. We try to update our publications often, but laws change frequently so it is important for you to check to make sure the information is up to date. The information in our publications is not a substitute for legal advice. To receive legal advice about your specific situation, you need to speak to a lawyer.
