One of the best things any victim of domestic violence can do for herself or himself is to document what happens and when. If you can, share with a third party, a close friend or a counselor.
And if you are in a workplace with a friend who seems to have a lot of injuries, it doesn't hurt to mark such things down on your calendar or in your journal for that person. I saw a very remarkable story on Oprah once in which a woman's case against her batterer was decided in her favor partially because a coworker, on her own, documented the woman's injuries, when they occurred, and what the woman's explanation was. Because that woman was a third party, her documentation carried a lot of weight.
A lot of people stay in an abusive relationship too long for a variety of factors: Fear of having nowhere to go; the desire to make it work; or feeling that they have an inability to care for their children or pets if they leave. Objective dates-and-facts documentation of abuse could help in almost any legal situation. And it's a small step to take when large steps aren't easy.
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One of the best things any victim of domestic violence can do for herself or himself is to document what happens and when. If you can, share with a third party, a close friend or a counselor.
And if you are in a workplace with a friend who seems to have a lot of injuries, it doesn't hurt to mark such things down on your calendar or in your journal for that person. I saw a very remarkable story on Oprah once in which a woman's case against her batterer was decided in her favor partially because a coworker, on her own, documented the woman's injuries, when they occurred, and what the woman's explanation was. Because that woman was a third party, her documentation carried a lot of weight.
A lot of people stay in an abusive relationship too long for a variety of factors: Fear of having nowhere to go; the desire to make it work; or feeling that they have an inability to care for their children or pets if they leave. Objective dates-and-facts documentation of abuse could help in almost any legal situation. And it's a small step to take when large steps aren't easy.
October 15, 2008 - 8:56amThis Comment
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