Domestic Violence
Developed by Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Definition
Domestic violence (battering) is a pattern of abusive and coercive behavior used to gain dominance, power, and control over an intimate partner. It includes the use of illegal and legal behaviors and tactics that undermine the victim’s sense of self, free will, and safety. Battering behavior can impact other family members and can be used in other family relationships.
Domestic violence crosses all class, race, lifestyle, and religious lines. The only clear distinction is gender. Most victims of domestic violence are women, and most perpetrators of domestic violence are men. According to the National Institute of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, women are at significantly greater risk of domestic violence than men. Many academic leaders have identified domestic violence as a major criminal justice, health care, and social issue.
Signs of Domestic Violence
Perpetrators of domestic violence (batterers) use a combination of the following tactics to gain and maintain dominance, power, and control over the victim. Batterers choose the circumstances of their violence, including the amount of injury inflicted by their acts. Batterers bear sole responsibility for their actions.
Physical violence:
Pushing; grabbing; shoving; restraining; kicking; spitting; biting; pulling hair; pinching; hitting; punching; slapping; strangling (choking); cutting; stabbing
Sexual violence:
Unwanted touching or fondling; forced sexual contact; rape; accusing her of being unfaithful; humiliating or objectifying her body; restricting her access to reproductive health care; forcing her to engage in unwanted sex acts; threatening to have sex with someone else; coercing her into having sex
Coercion and threats:
Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt her; threatening to leave her, to commit suicide, to report her to welfare, to have her deported or report her to immigration authorities; making her drop charges or not testify; making her do illegal things
Intimidation:
Making her afraid by using looks, actions, gestures; destroying her property; abusing pets; displaying weapons
Emotional abuse:
Putting her down; calling her names; making her think she’s crazy; playing mind games; humiliating her; making her feel bad about herself; making her feel guilty
Isolation:
Controlling what she does, who she sees and talks to, what she reads, where she goes; limiting her outside involvement; using jealousy to justify actions; withholding important documents (immigration paperwork, birth certificates, social security cards)
Using children:
Making her feel guilty about the children; using the children to relay messages; using visitation to harass her; threatening to take the children away, to fight for custody, to harm the children; undermining her parenting; teaching the children to treat her with disrespect
Economic abuse:
Preventing her from getting or keeping a job; making her ask for money; giving her an allowance; taking her money; not letting her know about or have access to family income
Male privilege/entitlement:
Treating her like a servant; making all the big decisions; making all the rules; being the one to define men’s and women’s roles
Minimizing, denying, blaming:
Making light of the abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously; saying the abuse didn’t happen; shifting responsibility for abusive behavior; saying she caused the abuse; claiming to be the “real” victim
Considerations for Safety Planning
- Threats to severely injure or kill her or her children if she leaves
- Batterer promises that he will change
- Access to transportation
- Access to communication with friends and family
- Access to a “safe” place in her home
- Access to resources and supports
- Access to affordable housing
- Access to economic resources
- Workplace safety (getting to and from work, safety while at work)
- Cultural, social, or religious beliefs about marriage, families, and children
- Concerns related to parenting
- Immigration issues
RESOURCES
For support, contact one of the following:
The sexual and domestic violence program nearest you (see map)
Kansas Crisis Hotline
1-888-END-ABUSE
(1-888-363-2287)
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE
(1-800-799-7233)
KANSAS SEXUAL and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELPLINE NUMBERS
Programs are listed below alphabetically by city with their HOTLINE phone numbers. The numbers on the map correspond to the programs listed. Call the program nearest you. You do not have to live in the city where the program is located to use their services.

DV = domestic violence services provided SA = sexual assault services provided
| CITY | SERVICES | KCSDV MEMBER PROGRAM | CRISIS HOTLINE NUMBER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atchison | DV/SA | DoVES | 800-367-7075 or 913-367-0363 |
| 2. Dodge City | DV/SA | Crisis Center of Dodge City | 620-225-6510 |
| 3. El Dorado | DV/SA | Family Life Center of Butler County | 800-870-6967 or 316-321-7104 |
| 4. Emporia | DV/SA | SOS, Inc. | 800-825-1295 or 620-342-1870 |
| 5. Garden City | DV/SA | Family Crisis Services | 620-275-5911 |
| 6. Great Bend | DV/SA | Family Crisis Center | 866-792-1885 or 620-792-1885 |
| 7. Hays | DV/SA | Options: Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Inc. | 800-794-4624 or 785-625-3055 |
| 8. Hutchinson | DV/SA | Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Center | 800-701-3630 or 620-663-2522 |
| 9. Iola | DV/SA | Hope Unlimited | 620-365-7566 |
| 10. Kansas City - Wyandotte Cnty | DV | Friends of Yates Joyce Williams Center | 913-321-0951 |
| 11. Kansas City - Johnson Cnty
|
DV/SA | Safehome | 888-432-4300 or 913-262-2868 |
| 12. Kansas City | DV | El Centro, Inc. ¡Si Se Puede! | 913-281-1186 |
| 13. Kansas City | DV/SA | KCAVP | 816-561-0550 |
| 14. Kansas City | SA | MOCSA | 816-531-0233 |
| 15. Lawrence | SA | GaDuGi Safe Center | 785-843-8985 |
| 16. Lawrence | DV | The Willow Domestic Violence Center | 800-770-3030 or 785-843-3333 |
| 17. Leavenworth | DV/SA | Alliance Against Family Violence | 800-644-1441 or 913-682-9131 |
| 18. Liberal | DV/SA | Liberal Area Rape Crisis and DV Services | 620-624-8818 |
| 19. Manhattan | DV/SA | The Crisis Center, Inc. | 800-727-2785 or 785-539-2785 |
| 20. Mayetta | DV/SA | Prairie Band Potawatomi Family Violence Prevention Program | 866-966-0173 or 785-966-2932 |
| 21. Newton | DV/SA | Harvey County DV/SA Task Force | 800-487-0510 or 316-283-0350 |
| 22. Pittsburg | DV/SA | Safehouse Crisis Center, Inc. | 800-794-9148 or 620-231-8251 |
| 23. Salina | DV/SA | Domestic Violence Assoc. of Central Kansas | 800-874-1499 or 785-827-5862 |
| 24. Topeka | DV/SA | YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment | 888-822-2983 or 785-354-7927 |
| 25. Wichita | DV | Catholic Charities Harbor House | 866-899-5522 or 316-263-6000 |
| 26. Wichita | DV | StepStone | 316-265-1611 |
| 27. Wichita | SA | Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center | 316-263-3002 |
| 28. Wichita | DV | YWCA Women's Crisis Center | 316-267-7233 |
| 29. Winfield | DV/SA | Safe Homes, Inc. | 800-794-7672 or 620-221-4357 |
This project was This project was supported by Grant #2010-MU-AX-0003, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
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