BELOVE ADVOCACY CENTER
​SERVICES

We Believe Survivors

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All Services are confidential

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SAFETY PLANNING
Safety planning is the most critical resource to help someone who is in a dangerous situation.
A safety plan is a plan of action designed to help keep you and your children as safe as possible when there is violence.
To be safe, plan ahead. A detailed safety plan is important to have in place before there is a violent situation and includes the following:

1. Know The Partnership Advocacy Center of Pike County's 24-hour hotline (740-947-1611) that offers problem-solving, information & referral, phone counseling and emergency shelter.
2. Try not to let the batterer trap you in the kitchen (too many potential weapons) or the bathroom (no space to dodge blows and too many hard surfaces to be pushed or knocked against).
3. Stay out of a room or area where there are known weapons such as guns. Do not attempt to threaten him with a weapon–it can easily be turned against you.
4. Think through all possible escape routes–not only doors, but first floor or basement windows you might go through. If you feel an attack may be about to begin, make your exit before it starts. Try not to leave without your children.
5. Think through now, before the attack, just where you will go. Will it be a safe place? If you have no safe friends or family, consider The Partnership. At the very least, go to a public place such as McDonald’s, the library, a hospital lobby or a shopping center. If he should follow you, go to the closest police or fire station–know where they are.
6. Now, before the abusive incident, get an extra car key made and hide it in or on the car. You can purchase a magnetic key holder. Then, should you be able to leave the house during an attack, you will have the means to drive to safety. Hiding a little extra money in the glove compartment is a good idea.
7. Pack an extra set of clothes for yourself and children. Include diapers, toilet articles, and a bit of spare change. Store these with a neighbor, a friend or at a church if you are not planning to leave immediately.
8. Gather important documents you might need such as birth certificates and social security numbers, marriage license, medical insurance information, family and friends’ phone numbers, children’s school records, and other information that might be necessary.
9. If you are able to escape the violent episode, he might not let you have access to the papers later, so try to take them with you. If possible, have important documents photocopied and keep copies in a safe place, perhaps with the extra clothes you stored.
10. Treat financial records in the same way as important documents. Try to take your rent, mortgage, and utility receipts; checking and savings account information; paycheck stubs, credit cards; account numbers; and significant canceled checks. Keep an extra blank check with your extra clothes.

SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES 
​What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual Assault is a crime of violence, power and control. It happens when a person is forced, threatened or coerced into sexual contact against her or his will. It includes unwanted touching, kissing and rape. Anyone may be a victim of rape: women, men or children, straight or gay. Sexual assault is not the victim’s fault. No one deserves or asks to be raped or assaulted. What a person wears, how much they drink or how they act does not mean they want to participate in sexual activity. It is also not the victim’s fault if they are unable to consent because of alcohol, drugs or disability.
Facts About Sexual Assault 

• Every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.
• One in 6 women and 1 in 33 men are victims of sexual violence within their lifetimes.
• 8 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.
• 34% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17.
• 3 out of 4 sexual assaults go unreported.
• Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 995 perpetrators will go free.

Indicators of Sexual Abuse in Relationships 

• Ignoring you when you say “no” to sex
• Pressuring you to perform sexual acts that make you feel uncomfortable or humiliated
• Telling you it’s your “duty” to have sex
• Forcing you to look at pornography
• Demanding sex when you’re sick or physically unable to participate
• Hitting or choking during sex
• Expecting sex after an argument/fight

If you are a sexual assault survivor, you are not alone! Help is available.
Call our confidential 24-hour hotline at 
​740-947-1611.

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES
​What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic Violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors to exert power and control over another individual in the context of an intimate partnership.

Facts About Domestic Violence 
Most domestic violence incidents are never reported.
More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Women ages 18 to 24 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.
Every year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her current or former partner.

Indicators of Domestic Violence in a Relationship
Domestic violence doesn’t look the same in every relationship because every relationship is different. But one thing most abusive relationships have in common is that the abusive partner does many different kinds of things to have more power and control over their partners. If you’re beginning to feel as if your partner or a loved one’s partner is becoming abusive, there are a few behaviors that you can look out for. Watch out for these red flags and if you’re experiencing one or more of them in your relationship, call the hotline (740-947-1611) to talk about what’s going on.

Red Flags
Telling you that you can never do anything right
Showing jealousy of your friends and time spent away
Keeping you or discouraging you from seeing friends or family members
Embarrassing or shaming you with put-downs
Controlling every penny spent in the household
Taking your money or refusing to give you money for expenses
Looking at you or acting in ways that scare you
Controlling who you see, where you go, or what you do
Preventing you from making your own decisions
Telling you that you are a bad parent or threatening to harm or take away your children
Preventing you from working or attending school
Destroying your property or threatening to hurt or kill your pets
Intimidating you with guns, knives or other weapons
Pressuring you to have sex when you don’t want to or do things sexually you’re not comfortable with
Pressuring you to use drugs or alcohol
​If even one of these indicators applies to you, you may be in an abusive relationship. 
For support and information, please call our
​24-hour hotline at 740-947-1611.