At Home

Learn where to get help; MEMORIZE EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS.

KEEP A PHONE in a room you can lock from the inside; if you can, get a cell phone that you keep with you at all times.

If the abuser has moved out, CHANGE THE LOCKS ON YOUR DOOR; get locks on the windows.

PLAN AN ESCAPE ROUTE out of your home; teach it to your children.

Think about where you would go if you need to escape.

ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS to call the police if they see the abuser at your house; make a signal for them to call the police, for example, if the phone rings twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on.

PACK A BAG with important things you'd need if you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you trust.

Include CASH, CAR KEYS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION such as: court papers, passport or birth certificates, medical records and medicines, immigration papers.

GET AN UNLISTED PHONE NUMBER.

BLOCK CALLER ID.

USE AN ANSWERING MACHINE; screen the calls.

TAKE A GOOD SELF-DEFENSE COURSE.