CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. Getting The Basics
2. Substance Abuse
3. Violence Against Women
4. Violent Men
5. Alcohol and Violence
6. Alcohol, Drugs and Sexual Assault (Date Rape)
7. Preventing Sexual Assault
8. After a Rape or Sexual Assault
9. Assistance - Women
10. Assistance - Men
11. Legal Options

Supplements
Resources
Glossary
Fact Sheets

It Won't Happen to Me:
Substance Abuse-Related Violence Against Women for Anyone Concerned About The Issues

Safety Planning

There are steps any woman can take to make sure she is safe if she finds herself in a situation that could become violent. The safety plan applies most directly to women who either live with or have lived with a violent partner. Some of these steps, however, may be taken in other situations such as dating violence, acquaintance rape or sexual assault, and some forms of elder abuse.

Remember: Always keep the safety plan in a safe place, where the partner will not find it.

Although a woman does not have control over her partner's actions, she does have control over how she prepares for her (and her children's) safety. The process of making a personal safety plan specific to the woman's needs may seem hard, but local domestic violence or sexual assault resources where the victim lives can help. Remember: Always keep the safety plan in a safe place, where the partner will not find it.^6-8

A safety plan involves:

• Safety during a violent incident, such as planning a way out of the house and teaching your children how to call 911
• Safety if you are planning to leave, such as leaving money, extra keys, copies of important papers, and extra clothes with someone you trust
• Safety in your own residence, such as obtaining a civil protection order and changing the locks
• Safety on the job, such as including your workplace on a civil protection order and providing a picture of the abuser to security and coworkers