Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Victim Advocate

The Cleveland Police Department has a Domestic Violence Victim Advocate to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence that live within the Cleveland city limits. If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 immediately.

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is not just physical violence. Domestic violence is a pattern of controlling abusive behavior - emotional, sexual, or physical. It is a pattern that can be prevented and it can be stopped. It is something that can happen to anyone.

No one deserves to be abused. You deserve to be in a relationship that is built on equality and mutual respect. You deserve to be in a relationship where you can get your needs met, feel safe, and be free from harm.

Victims

Victims of domestic violence should not be stereotyped. A victim of domestic violence does not cause the violence to happen. The violence is a result of the abuser's behavior, not the victim's.

Abuse happens to people from all different backgrounds. It happens to people of all ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, religions, economic levels, and educational levels. Abuse can happen to domestic partners, elderly persons, and teens in dating relationships.

Men can also be victims of domestic violence^[1]. However, 90 to 95% of domestic violence victims are women.

Children can be impacted by domestic violence by witnessing the abuse or by being abused themselves.

¹ Bureau of Justice Statistics Selected Findings: Violence Between Intimates (NCJ-149259), November 1994.