Do you need a Safety Plan?

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) [1]:

•         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.

www.mylawbc.com/paths/abuse/
https://endingviolence.org/need-help/safety-planning/

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.

Footnote
[1] <https://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/Deathinvestigations/OfficeChiefCoroner/Publicationsandreports/DVDRC2017.html>