Leaving an abusive situation is never easy.

For women who are being abused by their partners, leaving may mean becoming homeless, being shunned by their families for “not trying hard enough to make the relationship work”, raising children as a single mother, and a constant feeling of “did I do something wrong?” and “what could I have done to make the abuse stop?”

Even though their partner is being abusive to them in the most horrible ways imaginable: hitting, threatening, yelling, pushing, swearing, intimidating, kicking, etc, they may still love this person and hope that they will change.  As well, the most dangerous time for a woman is an abusive relationship is when she attempts to leave her partner. which does not make the decision any easier.

If you are in an abusive relationship or worried about someone who is, please pay attention to these common signs of abuse:

– You feel like you have to “walk on eggshells” to keep someone from getting angry and are frightened by their temper

– You stop seeing other friends or family, or give up the activities you enjoy because they don’t approve

– You feel you are the only one who can help your partner and that you should try to “fix” them

– You find yourself apologizing to yourself and others for your partner’s behavior when you are treated badly

– You believe that their jealousy and control is a sign of love

– You believe the critical things that are said to you and you feel bad about yourself

This Valentine’s Day, if you are in abusive situation, we want you to know that:

Love doesn’t have to hurt,

Love should never hurt.

  If you are being hurt, we are here to help you.

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If you are in an abusive situation and you need help RIGHT NOW, please call our crisis line at 416-461-1084 or the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 416-863-0511.   Both lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more important information on signs of abuse, please click here.