Domestic Violence
To help fight domestic violence, the Attorney General strives to enhance cooperation between state agencies, provide helpful information to victims, and promote statewide awareness and education. The Attorney General's Office also supports legislation to combat domestic violence and sexual assault, while implementing grant programs and other initiatives, such as Verizon Wireless's HopeLine Program, which donates cell phones to local shelters for victims.
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If you feel you have been a victim of domestic violence, please call the police if you are in immediate danger. You should also call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238 for confidential help and referral information.
The Office of the Attorney General does not provide domestic violence counseling and cannot give you legal advice.
Overview
Domestic Violence: Overview
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior, and a method of control. It is a means of establishing a hierarchy of power within a relationship, in which one partner dominates the other through use of physical violence and/or psychological abuse. Family violence includes five primary categories of abusive behaviors: physical violence, emotional abuse, sexual assault, economic control and neglect.
- Physical violence includes, but is not limited to, such acts as hitting, slapping, choking, kicking, biting, pushing, and using weapons. Physical violence against a family member very often rises to the level of criminal behavior in Virginia. See, e.g., Va. Code §18.2-57.2.
- Emotional abuse may take the form of humiliation and intimidation tactics such as calling the victim degrading names, diminishing the victim's sense of self-worth, threatening harm to the victim or family, torturing pets, and destroying personal property. Isolation maneuvers are also common. For instance, the victim's outside contacts with friends or family may be monitored or criticized. The victim may be denied access to a vehicle. Over time, all meaningful contact between the victim and outsiders may be eliminated. Some acts of emotional abuse are explicitly illegal, such as stalking, torturing pets or making threats. See, e.g., Va. Code §§18.2-60.3, 3.1-796.12, 18.2-60 respectively. Other acts of emotional abuse may not be criminal in nature but form an underlying pattern of control. In the earliest stages, where a pattern of abuse is still developing and the abuser may recognize the actions as wrong, counseling and treatment programs are an option. A victim's best protection from further abuse, especially if threats of serious physical harm are involved, may be in filing a protective order or an order pendente lite (an order pending divorce). See, e.g., Va. Code §§16.1-253.4 (emergency protective orders), 16.1-253, 16.1-253.1 (preliminary protective orders), 16.1-279.1 (long-term protective orders), 20-79 (pendente lite), 20-103 (orders pending the suit).
- Sexual assault entails forcing the victim to engage in sexual acts against the victim's will. The Virginia Code contains several sections related to sexual abuse including sexual assault, incest, molestation, object penetration, rape and marital rape. Most acts of sexual abuse are criminal in nature. In recent years, Virginia has modified its rape laws. A husband too, may be guilty of raping his wife if he sexually assaulted her against her will. Va. Code §18.2-61.
- Economic control may include discouraging or forbidding employment, withholding information about family finances, controlling all family finances and accounts, or improper use of power of attorney. Like many forms of emotional abuse, this type of abuse may not be criminal in nature, although it may include some criminal elements such as assault.
- Neglect is a form of abusive behavior most often seen in relationships between adults and the children in their care or between adults responsible for the care of older or disabled individuals. Neglect of children is the failure or refusal through a willful act or omission to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision in relation to a child's age and level of development. It includes abandonment, expulsion from home, not allowing a run away to return home, failure to enroll a child in school and permitting chronic truancy. Va. Code §18.2-369.
Source: Information from the "What is Domestic Violence?" section and some information used in the Executive Summary are from Family Violence Reference Manual by The Virginia Commission on Family Violence Prevention.
Resources
Domestic Violence: Resources
For Help - Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Programs by Locality (bottom of page)
Call the Hotline 24/7 - 1-800-838-8238
For More Information
National Resources and Hotlines
Virginia Certified Batterer Intervention Programs
Publications
Domestic Violence: Publications
Annual Reports
Brochures
The Attorney General's Office provides the following free publications to help combat domestic violence:
Address Confidentiality Program Brochure
Address Confidentiality Program Brochure (Spanish)
Safe at Home: What Everyone Should Know About Domestic Violence
Safe at Home: What Everyone Should Know About Domestic Violence (Spanish)
What You Should Know About Protective Orders
To order a free copy of any of these brochures, please call the Attorney General's Office at (804) 786-2071,
e-mail
Initiatives
Domestic Violence - Initiatives and Programs
Initiatives
Domestic Violence - Address Confidentiality Program
The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is a confidential mail-forwarding service for domestic violence victims who have recently relocated to a location unknown to their abuser. The goal of the ACP is to help domestic violence victims keep their new address confidential.
The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) is an innovative strategy to prevent domestic violence homicides and serious injuries. It provides an easy and effective method for law enforcement and other community professionals—such as health care providers, clergy members, case workers, and court personnel—to identify victims of domestic violence who are at the highest risk of being seriously injured or killed by their intimate partners, and immediately connect them to the local domestic violence service program.
Training
Training
If you are a victim witness agency, law enforcement agency, non-profit domestic and sexual violence agency, health and human services agency, court personnel , state agency staff or school administrative staff and would like a training on the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) please contact ACP staff at
Trainings offered:
- What is The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)? This training will discuss what the program is and how survivors use the program.
- Address Confidentiality Program Application Assistant Training This training is for advocates who assist survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking. The training will discuss what the program is, how survivors use the program and the role of an advocate in the application process.
Feedback
Address Confidentiality Program Participant Survey
The ACP has created a short participant survey to gain insights and valuable feedback to help strengthen the program. For confidentiality purposes and anonymity your email address and name will not be collected. If you do not wish to complete this survey electronically a printed copy of this survey may be obtained by contacting the ACP staff at
More Information
Domestic Violence - More Information
More Information
Domestic Violence - Sexual Assault
Domestic Violence - Batterer Intervention Programs
Domestic Violence - Immigration Laws
I-CAN!™ Online Forms Completion Program
Events
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