Domestic Violence Resources

Comprehensive support and resources

At Catapult Outreach, we are committed to providing comprehensive support and resources to individuals affected by domestic violence. Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that transcends age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, or nationality. Our resources cover various forms of domestic violence, including:

1. Physical Abuse:

• Definition: Intentional acts causing injury or trauma through bodily contact.
• Examples: Beating, slapping, punching, kicking, choking/strangling.

2. Verbal Abuse:

• Definition: The use of speech as an act of violence to decrease the victim’s self-confidence.
• Examples: Name-calling, insulting, making threats, blaming.

3. Emotional Abuse:

• Definition: Subtle and hard-to-detect abuse eroding the victim’s self-esteem and creating psychological dependency.
• Tactics: Insulting, gaslighting, blaming.

4. Sexual Abuse:

• Definition: Unwanted sexual activity using force, threats, or taking advantage of victims unable to give consent.
• Examples: Sexual harassment, sexual assault, coercions.

5. Financial Abuse:

• Definition: When the abuser controls the victim’s access to economic resources.
• Tactics: Restricting access to finances, preventing victims from working, spending the victim’s money without their knowledge.

6. Digital Abuse:

• Definition: Use of technology to harass, stalk, or intimidate the victim.
• Tactics: Monitoring whereabouts, looking through the victim’s devices, constant texting/calling/messaging.

7. Reproductive Coercion:

• Definition: A form of power and control stripping the victim’s ability to control their reproductive system.
• Tactics: Sabotaging birth control, forcing pregnancy or abortions, lying about birth control methods.

Understanding the diverse forms of domestic violence is crucial for effective support and intervention. At Catapult Outreach, we are dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, and offering resources to empower individuals to break free from the cycle of abuse. Our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for survivors to heal and regain control over their lives.

Resourceful Links

If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence and need assistance, you can:

Call our 24-Hours Domestic Violence Crisis Line anytime at 1-803-792-9020.
Text 1-803-792-9020 from anywhere in the US, anytime, to talk via text about any type of crisis including domestic violence. We also receive emails at catapultoutreach@gmail.com

Resources for Escaping

What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence is a pattern of intentionally violent and/or controlling behavior used against a family member or a dating/intimate partner to gain power and control over that person, during and/or after the relationship. Domestic violence is also known as family violence, intimate partner violence, or dating violence.

What are some warning signs of domestic violence?

Domestic violence doesn’t always look the same in every situation. Family violence can often look very different than violence in a dating or intimate relationship. Yet because domestic violence centers around power and control, there are usually some common features. Warning signs often include:

Inequality between the people involved (i.e. the abusive person shows a lack of respect or concern for the other person)
Lack of choice (i.e. the abusive person makes most of the decisions or doesn’t listen when the other person says or indicates “no”)
Fear or uncertainty (i.e. one person feeling “on guard” or afraid because of the abusive person’s unpredictable behavior or language
Suspicion or lack of trust (i.e. the abusive person constantly demanding that the other person prove themselves or account for their whereabouts or behavior)

What are attributes that you’ll struggling with now?

Excerpt from Tracey Jefferson “Suffering in Silence.”