Developing a safety plan can help you when you are put in a situation of domestic violence. After developing your plan, review it as often as possible.

• If you have an order of protection, keep it with you at all times.
• Inform people that you trust of your situation.
• Develop a code word, phrase, or signal of some kind that will let friends, neighbors, or classmates know that you are in trouble and the police should be called.
• Plan what to do in various situations if the abuser confronts you.
• If an argument seems unavoidable, move to a room with easy access to an exit – not a bathroom, kitchen, or anywhere near weapons.
• Identify the quickest exit from your home and practice your route.
• Have a bag packed in an undisclosed but accessible location so you can take it with you if you do not have a lot of time.
• Inform neighbors to call the police if they become alerted of a disturbance.
• Decide where you will go if you have to leave.
• Make and memorize a list of emergency contacts. Include the numbers of friends, family members, shelters, and domestic violence hotlines.

Use your instincts and judgment, you have a right to protect yourself when you are in danger, you do not deserve to be battered or threatened.