Separation can be a dangerous time for targets of intimate partner violence. Here is a list of the most common predictors of family violence (in order) from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services:
• history of domestic violence
• actual or pending separation
• the perpetrator was depressed
• obsessive behaviour by the perpetrator
• suicide threats or attempts by perpetrator
• victim had an intuitive sense of fear that perpetrator would kill them
• perpetrator demonstrated sexual jealousy
• prior threats to kill the victim
• excessive drug/alcohol use
• unemployed perpetrator
• history of violence outside the family
• escalation of violence
While leaving a violent relationship may be your best choice, leaving without a safety plan can lead to the worst case scenario.
Below are links to help you create a safety plan and other resources.
A big thank you to Hilary Linton for her work on addressing safety in Family Dispute Resolution Processes which is where I pulled this information from.
