In An Emergency

If you are at home & you are being threatened or attacked:

• Stay away from the kitchen (the abuser can find weapons, like knives, there)
• Stay away from bathrooms, closets or small spaces where the abuser can trap you
• Get to a room with a door or window to escape
• Get to a room with a phone to call for help; lock the abuser outside if you can
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away for help; get the dispatcher’s name
• Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help
• If a police officer comes, tell him/her what happened; get his/her name & badge number
• Get medical help if you are hurt
• Take pictures of bruises or injuries
• Call a domestic violence program or shelter (Safe Haven of Pike County 570-296-HELP); ask them to help you make a safety plan

Be Prepared to Get Away

• Keep the following with someone you trust: a spare set of keys, a set of clothes, important papers, prescriptions, and some money, food stamps, checkbook, credit cards, pay stubs, birth certificates and other ID for you and your children, drivers license, and other photo identification, Social Security card or green card/work permit, health insurance cards, deed or lease to your house or apartment, any court papers or orders, change of clothes for you and your children.
• Save any evidence of physical abuse (ripped clothes, photos of bruises, and injuries, etc.).
• Plan the safest time to get away.
• Know where you can go for help. Tell someone what is happening to you. Have the phone numbers of friends, relatives, and domestic violence programs with you.
• Call the police if you are in danger and need help.
• If you are injured go to a hospital emergency room or doctor and report what has happened to you. Ask that they document your visit. Ask them to take pictures of your injuries/bruises.
• Plan with your children and identify a safe place for them: a room with a lock, or a neighbor’s house where they can go for help. Reassure them that it is their job to stay safe, so that you don’t have to worry about them.
• Arrange a signal with a neighbor (such as, if there is a porch light on, call the police).
• Contact a local domestic violence hotline to find out about laws, the shelters, and other resources available to you before you have to use them.

How To Keep Your Children Safer

• Teach them not to get in the middle of a fight, even if they want to help
• Teach them how to get to safety, to call 911, to give your address & phone number to the police
• Teach them who to call for help
• Tell them to stay out of the kitchen
• Give the principal at school or the daycare center a copy of your court order; tell them not to release your children to anyone without talking to you first; use a password so they can be sure it is you on the phone; give them a photo of the abuser
• Make sure the children know who to tell at school if they see the abuser
• Make sure that the school knows not to give your address or phone number to ANYONE

How to Protect Yourself Outside the Home

• Change your regular travel habits
• Try to get rides with different people
• Shop and bank in a different place
• Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you shared; open new accounts at a different bank
• Keep your court order and emergency numbers with you at all times
• Keep a cell phone & program it to 911 (or other emergency number)

How to Make Yourself Safer at Work

• Keep a copy of your court order at work
• Give a picture of the abuser to security and friends at work
• Tell your supervisors - see if they can make it harder for the abuser to find you
• Don’t go to lunch alone
• Ask a security guard to walk you to your car or to the bus
• If the abuser calls you at work, save voice mails and save e-mails
• Your employer may be able to help you find community resources

How to Be Safer at the Courthouse

• Sit as far away from the abuser as you can; you don’t have to look at or talk to the abuser; you don’t have to talk to the abuser’s family or friends if they are there
• Bring a friend or relative with you to wait until your case is heard
• Tell a bailiff or sheriff that you are afraid of the abuser and ask him/her to look out for you
• Make sure you have your court order before you leave
• Ask the judge or the sheriff to keep the abuser there for a while when court is over; leave quickly
• If you think the abuser is following you when you leave, call the police immediately
• If you have to travel to another State for work or to get away from the abuser, take your protection order with you; it is valid everywhere

WARNING
How an abuser can discover your internet activities.

Email
If an abuser has access to your email account, he or she may be able to read your incoming and outgoing mail. If you believe your account is secure, make sure you choose a password he or she will not be able to guess.
If an abuser sends you threatening or harassing email messages, they may be printed and saved as evidence of this abuse. Additionally, the messages may constitute a federal offense. For more information on this issue, contact your local United States Attorney’s Office.

History/Cache Files
If an abuser knows how to read your computer’s history or cache file (automatically saved web pages and graphics), he or she may be able to see information you have viewed recently on the internet.

You can clear your history or empty your cache file in your browser’s settings.*

Stay safe by deleting your internet browser history and cookies. Please use the following steps, depending on your browser, to learn how to safely remove traces of your internet browsing.

Deleting your internet usage history

Internet Explorer 6.x – Windows

1. Within IE, go to Tools | Internet Options.
2. Click Delete Cookies.
3. Click OK.

Internet Explorer 7.x – Windows

1. Within IE, go to Tools | Internet Options.
2. Click on the General tab and then click the Delete… button.
3. Click the Delete cookies button.
4. Click the Yes button.
5. Then click the Close button, followed by the OK button.

Internet Explorer – Mac

1. On a Classic OS machine, go to Edit | Preferences. On OS X go to Explorer | Preferences.
2. Expand the Receiving Files option on the left if it isn’t already.
3. Click Cookies.
4. In the box that displays all the cookies on the machine, click once to select one, and then press Command-A to select all.
5. Click Delete.
6. Click OK.

Netscape 7.x/Mozilla – Windows

1. Within Netscape, go to Tools | Cookie Manager | Manage Stored Cookies.
2. Click Remove All Cookies.

Netscape 7.x/Mozilla – Mac

1. Within Netscape, go to Tools | Cookie Manager | Manage Stored Cookies.
2. Click Remove All Cookies.
3. Click OK.

Firefox 1.5 – Windows

1. Open Firefox and go to Tools | Options.
2. Click Privacy.
3. View the “Cookies” tab and click the Clear Cookies Now (older versions of Firefox are very similar to these instructions).

Firefox 2.x – Windows

1. Open Firefox and go to Tools | Options.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Click the “Show Cookies” button and then click the Remove All Cookies button.

Firefox 3.x – Windows

1. Open Firefox and go to Tools | Options.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Click the “Show Cookies” button and then click the Remove All Cookies button.

Firefox 1.5 – Mac

1. Open Firefox and go to Firefox | Preferences.
2. Click Privacy.
3. View the “Cookies” tab and click the Clear Cookies Now (older versions of Firefox are very similar to these instructions).

Firefox 2.x – Mac

1. Open Firefox and go to Firefox | Preferences.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Click the “Show Cookies” button and then click the Remove All Cookies button.

Firefox 3.x – Mac

1. Open Firefox and go to Firefox | Preferences.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Click the “Show Cookies” button and then click the Remove All Cookies button.

Safari 2.x, 3.x

1. Open Safari and go to Safari | Preferences.
2. Click Security.
3. Click Show Cookies.
4. Click Remove All.
* This information may not completely hide your tracks. Many browser types have features that display recently visited sites. The safest way to find information on the internet, would be at a local library, a friend’s house, or at work.