Resources for Survivors, Friends, Family

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Most people who experience violence first tell a friend or family member. Here’s how you can help someone reach safety and start the healing process.

Quick tips on how to support loved ones who have experienced violence

Listen

Abuse can take many forms and can happen at any point in someone’s life. It is never the survivor’s fault. By believing, listening without judgment, and showing compassion, you become a valuable lifeline.

Provide Resources & Safety

They may ask for your support while they are in a relationship, when they’re preparing to leave, or after they’ve left. They may ask for your support immediately following sexual assault or some time after an assault. Survivors know what is best for themselves and their situation. Support them by creating a safety plan and/or letting them know about resources that are closest to them. Not sure what’s available in your community? Find out what resources are available near you.

Provide Support

There are over sixty organizations in Virginia who have staff and volunteers trained to help in situations like this, often 24 hours a day. Friends, family, and loved ones can also receive help and guidance from advocates about next steps. You can be moral support if the person you care about decides to go to a local sexual and domestic violence agency, make a report, or seek legal counsel.

Resources

Below you can find written resources that you may view online or print out and share with others.

About Sexual Assault

Download the sexual assault brochure in English

The cover of the brochure on marital sexual assault that has a blue vertical bar along the right side, a white bar along the left side, and a purple bar along the top with the title of the brochure in white letters, how can it be sexual assault if we're married?

Download the marital sexual assault brochure (English)

Download the sexual assault brochure in Spanish

Download the Understanding PERK Exams card (English)

About Intimate Partner Violence

Finding Safety Booklet Cover has a monarch butterfly on a white background with the words Finding Safety: Support during or after living with an abusive partner

Download Finding Safety Booklet in English

The cover of the brochure, "But I haven't been hit..." in Spanish has a lime green right-justified vertical bar with white band on the left, at the top a blue band with the words, "But I haven't been hit..."

Download the emotional abuse brochure in English

The cover of the Safety Planning brochure in English has a yellow vertical bar down the right side, white bar down the left side, and a horizontal blue bar with the words, Planning for your safety.

Download the safety planning brochure in English

The Cover of the Finding Safety Booklet in Spanish with a monarch butterfly on a white background and the words Encontrando Seguridad: Apoyo durante y después de haber vivido con una pareja abusiva.

Download Finding Safety Booklet in Spanish

Download the emotional abuse brochure in Spanish

The cover of the Safety Planning brochure in Spanish has a yellow vertical bar down the right side, white bar down the left side, and a horizontal blue bar with the words, Planeando su seguridad.

Download the safety planning brochure in Spanish

Using the Legal System:

Link to Protective Orders in Virginia booklet

Protective Orders in Virginia: A booklet that thoroughly and plainly describes Virginia’s Protective Order process. Also includes information about Protective Orders for teen dating violence, and guidance for the Lesbian/Gay/Bi-Sexual/Transgender (LGBT) Community. (revised 2022)

Download the Protective Orders Booklet

I-CAN! Virginia’s Online Forms Completion System for Protective Orders. This website helps to understand and fill out the application for a protective order. Information is available in English and Spanish.