Domestic Violence

(Section under construction: come back later to see updated information!)

Domestic Violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.

Domestic Violence is also known as:

Intimate Partner Violence
Teen Dating Violence
Gender-Based Violence
An Abusive Relationship

To the right are the 10 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship (from the One Love Foundation). Though no two relationships are the same, the presence of these warning signs can indicate a relationship is unhealthy, or even abusive.

Types of Abuse:

Physical: Your partner hits you, chokes you, physically handles you, etc. or threatens to.
Emotional: Your partner manipulates you into doing what they want, controls your actions, calls you names, or makes you feel like you're going crazy (gaslighting). They may make you feel guilty or blame you for their actions.
Financial: Your partner strictly controls your spending, won't let you get a job, or withholds money from you so you have to rely on them. Can also occur if a partner solely relies on you for money, so that you feel guilty for leaving them.
Sexual: Your partner forces you to partake in sexual actions that you don't want to do. They may sabotage your birth control or contraception. May use children and pregnancy as a means to get you to stay with them.
Digital: Your partner stalks you online, bombards you with messages and/or phone calls, controls who you can follow on social media, has access to your electronic devices and accounts, and/or tracks your location (see Internet Safety Tips).
Stalking: Your partner follows you around everywhere (physically and/or online). Shows up to events and/or places uninvited. Meets you at your home or workplace, even after you have asked them to stop (see Stalking).

Keep in mind that these behaviors can be present in any kind of relationship, including between friends and family!

Think you might know somebody in an abusive relationship? Or want to know what to do in case a sexual assault happens? Click here to learn about bystander intervention.

Quiz: Is my Relationship Healthy?

20 people per minute experience Intimate Partner Violence -- about 10 million people annually.
Women who identify as bisexual, lesbian, Mixed Race, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and/or Black (Non-Hispanic) experience intimate partner violence at higher levels.
54% of those who identify as transgender report experiencing intimate partner violence.
An abuser's access to firearm increases the chances of intimate partner femicide by 400%.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS:

What you can do if you're experiencing Intimate Partner Violence:

Talk to a trusted family member or friend.
If in immediate danger, call 911.
Call an advocate (like the ones at Helping Hands)! We're available 24/7 and are confidential. Check out the bottom of this page for additional confidential resources.
Create a safety plan. Sometimes it's safer to stay in an abusive relationship with a back-up plan than to leave one without one.
Document any evidence of abuse, such as bruises, cuts, text messages, phone logs, etc. Store them in a secure place where your abuser can't find them, such as a separate email account.

Resources:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline

Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233)

The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides lifesaving tools and immediate support to enable victims to find safety and live lives free of abuse. Callers can expect highly trained, experienced advocates to offer compassionate support, crisis intervention information, educational services and referral services in more than 200 languages.

Helping Hands Against Violence

Hotline: 541-386-6603

Helping Hands--a non-profit in Hood River, Oregon--supports all survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and/or stalking through safety, shelter, advocacy, education, and outreach. Call us if you have questions, need guidance for yourself or a friend, or just need someone to listen.

Domestic Violence

(Section under construction: come back later to see updated information!)

​

Domestic Violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.

​

Domestic Violence is also known as:

Intimate Partner Violence

Teen Dating Violence

Gender-Based Violence

An Abusive Relationship

​

To the right are the 10 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship (from the One Love Foundation). Though no two relationships are the same, the presence of these warning signs can indicate a relationship is unhealthy, or even abusive.

​

​

​

Types of Abuse:

Physical: Your partner hits you, chokes you, physically handles you, etc. or threatens to.

Emotional: Your partner manipulates you into doing what they want, controls your actions, calls you names, or makes you feel like you're going crazy (gaslighting). They may make you feel guilty or blame you for their actions.

Financial: Your partner strictly controls your spending, won't let you get a job, or withholds money from you so you have to rely on them. Can also occur if a partner solely relies on you for money, so that you feel guilty for leaving them.

Sexual: Your partner forces you to partake in sexual actions that you don't want to do. They may sabotage your birth control or contraception. May use children and pregnancy as a means to get you to stay with them.

Digital: Your partner stalks you online, bombards you with messages and/or phone calls, controls who you can follow on social media, has access to your electronic devices and accounts, and/or tracks your location (see Internet Safety Tips).

Stalking: Your partner follows you around everywhere (physically and/or online). Shows up to events and/or places uninvited. Meets you at your home or workplace, even after you have asked them to stop (see Stalking).

​

Keep in mind that these behaviors can be present in any kind of relationship, including between friends and family!

​

Think you might know somebody in an abusive relationship? Or want to know what to do in case a sexual assault happens? Click here to learn about bystander intervention.

20 people per minute experience Intimate Partner Violence -- about 10 million people annually.

Women who identify as bisexual, lesbian, Mixed Race, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and/or Black (Non-Hispanic) experience intimate partner violence at higher levels.

54% of those who identify as transgender report experiencing intimate partner violence.

An abuser's access to firearm increases the chances of intimate partner femicide by 400%.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS:

What you can do if you're experiencing Intimate Partner Violence:

Talk to a trusted family member or friend.

If in immediate danger, call 911.

Call an advocate (like the ones at Helping Hands)! We're available 24/7 and are confidential. Check out the bottom of this page for additional confidential resources.

Create a safety plan. Sometimes it's safer to stay in an abusive relationship with a back-up plan than to leave one without one.

Document any evidence of abuse, such as bruises, cuts, text messages, phone logs, etc. Store them in a secure place where your abuser can't find them, such as a separate email account.

Resources: