Hotline Outer Banks offers support services for individuals, children, and families experiencing domestic violence. For those in imminent danger, our Safe House provides a secure place to stay while trained advocates offer support, safety planning, and guidance toward healing, stability, and breaking the cycle of violence.
What Is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is more than physical violence. Ending the harm and stigma of domestic violence requires an understanding of the behaviors that define it, as well as examples of healthy relationships, to inform your interactions and decisions moving forward. Our advocates are available 24/7 to discuss your situation and help determine if your relationship might be abusive.
Domestic violence, also referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV), dating abuse or relationship abuse, is a pattern of behaviors by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate. People of any age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, education level or economic status can be a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence. That includes behaviors that physically harm, intimidate, manipulate or control a partner, or otherwise force them to behave in ways they don’t want to, including through physical violence, threats, emotional abuse or financial control.
Abusers may also control victims through economic abuse, isolation, coercion or threats against the victim’s children or pets. Stalking and controlling behavior through technology are other common forms of violence. Many victims fear the unknowns of what may happen if they leave their abuser.
In abusive situations, multiple forms of abuse are usually present at the same time. To know what to look for, you need to understand how these forms of abuse intertwine. When we know what a relationship looks like and means, we can take steps to get help for ourselves and to provide better support to others.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please remember...
You are not alone.
You are not to blame.
You do not deserve to be abused.
There is NO excuse for domestic violence!
Are you being abused or at risk for abuse?
Please review the questions below. If you answer “yes” to three or more, your relationship may have a strong potential for abuse and your safety could be at risk in the future. Without effective intervention, abusive behavior often escalates in severity and, in some cases, can become life-threatening. If these traits sound familiar in your partner, please take them seriously. Hotline Outer Banks can help. Our advocates are available 24/7 to discuss your situation, (252) 473-3366. All calls are confidential, and you may choose to remain anonymous.
- Makes you feel uncomfortable or afraid?
- Uses force during an argument?
- Often puts you down, humiliates you or makes you feel worthless?
- Constantly checks up on what you are doing or where you are going?
- Tries to isolate you from your friends or family?
- Is usually jealous or hypersensitive?
- Blames others for their feelings?
- Makes you feel afraid to disagree or say “no” to them?
- Tells you how the household finances should be spent or stops you from having any money yourself?
- Threatens to leave you and take your children away?
- Makes all the decisions or tells you what to wear and who you can talk to?
- Has shoved, pushed, pinched or bitten you?
- Throws things, hits walls or breaks objects?
- Uses force during sex or makes you do sexual things that you don’t want to do?
- Threatens to hurt you, your family, friends or pets?
- Threatens to hurt themselves if you say you want to end the relationship?
- Has a history of bad relationships?
- Causes your family or friends to express concerns for your safety?
To know what to expect when calling, read our blog post.
