POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 63 continued Safety Planning You can get help in Nova Scotia any time of the day and any day of the week. Call 211 for information about organizations that can help. Ask about the Men’s Helpline, Women’s Helpline, or All Genders Helpline. Call the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia: 18552250220. Call 911 in an emergency. When one partner is hurting the other, it’s called abuse or domestic violence. It can include physical abuse, sexual abuse, controlling their partner’s money or behaviour, controlling them emotionally, or coercive control. Coercive control is behaviour by a current or former partner or family member that makes someone fear they will be physically harmed, causes their mental health to decline, or causes the victim such distress that their daytoday activities are negatively affected. A safety plan lays out how you can protect yourself and your children, and how you can make a plan to keep as safe as possible. Take one action at a time. Start with the one that is easiest and safest for you. If you live with a partner who abuses you • Tell someone you trust that your partner is abusing you. • Think about ways your partner has hurt you in the past. This will help you predict the level of danger you and your children face and when it might be safest to leave. • Plan where to go in an emergency. • Create a plan to get out of your home safely. If you have children, practice getting out of your home safely with them. • Ask neighbours, friends, and family you can trust to call the police if they become aware of abuse. • If you and your partner are starting to argue, move to a place where you can get outside easily. • Try to avoid rooms where there are potential weapons, like the kitchen, workshop, or bathroom. • Always back your car into the driveway and keep it fuelled. • Hide your keys, a cell phone, and some money near your escape route. • Have a list of phone numbers to call for help. Call the police if it is an emergency. If you have children • Teach your children that hurting other people is never right, even when someone they love hurts other people. Tell them the abuse isn’t your fault or their fault; they did not cause it, and neither did you. Help them understand it is important to be safe, and that abuse is never acceptable. • Try not to run to a place where the children are, as your partner may hurt them as well. • Teach your children how to get help. Let them know it is not helpful to get between you and your partner if there is violence. Plan a code word to signal they should get help or leave. • Plan how to get out of your home safely and practise with your children. • Ask your neighbours to look after your children in an emergency.
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