www.ndvh.org
From the outside, it is often puzzling why victims of domestic violence cannot simply leave unhealthy relationships, but the decision to leave or stay in a relationship is much more complex than just staying or going. Leaving often means walking away from a home and possessions, suddenly being homeless, concerns about how to continue to take care of children and the feelings that the victim has for the abuser. No one wants to believe that the person they love meant to hurt them and will continue to do so.
For many victims of domestic violence, the first step to safety is a call to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The Hotline is a national service that exists to help victims of domestic abuse and their families. It provides an immediate response to victims of domestic violence and their families, and a seamless referral system to community programs in response to the needs of the women, men, and children.
The Hotline, operated 24/7 and available in 170 languages, is the first step to safety for many callers whose unique situation is assessed and evaluated to meet short term needs, with a local referral to assist the caller in dealing with the long-term effects of family violence. More than two million callers have received assistance since the organization began answering calls in 1996. The National Domestic Violence Hotline was created by Congress as part of the Violence Against
Women Act and is currently funded by the Family Violence Prevention and Service Act.
The website for the Hotline, NDVH.org has a heap of useful information for visitors. When victims make the often difficult decision to leave their partners, it is important that they have a safety plan ready to make their transition as smooth as possible. On the website, users will find a detailed safety plan that they can familiarize themselves with and follow should they ever have that need. The plan explains being safe while living with an abuser, what to do when they are getting ready to leave a dangerous situation, guidelines to follow when leaving an abusive relationship, and what to do after taking that very important step. There is also information available that can help people really understand what abuse and domestic violence is. The site provides indicators that people can use to recognize whether they may be getting abused themselves or are abusing others.
There are a number of ways that you can contribute to this great cause. A direct donation is possible through the website, it is possible to make a legacy gift so that you can keep giving even after you are gone, offer your time by volunteering, or shop at their store. You can even contribute without spending a single dime just by using a search engine. Visit NDVH.org to find out how you can use GoodSearch to search the Internet the way you normally would and support the
National Domestic Violence Hotline in the process.
Organizations like this are providing very important services, resources, and information to all of the abused individuals in the country. They are giving victims a chance to make their lives better for themselves and their children without asking for anything in return. The least we can do is find out how we can help the cause and provide any assistance we are able to.
