Safe Horizon is the largest provider of domestic violence services in the country. Collaborating with the criminal justice system, Safe Horizon offers innovative programs that provide women with support throughout the complex process of leaving violent relationships and building safe futures. For survivors of domestic violence, stalking, rape, and sexual assault, Safe Horizon offers services that help them and their children move toward safe and independent violence-free lives. What is Domestic Violence? Domestic violence, sometimes called battering, relationship abuse, or intimate partner violence, is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and sexual abuse. Batterers use threats, intimidation, isolation, and other behaviors to maintain power over their victims. Domestic violence impacts everyone, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year (Lieberman Research, Inc., Tracking Survey conducted for The Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, July-October 1996). Domestic violence also affects same-sex relationships and men as victims. To find out how to get help, go to Domestic Violence and Abusive Relationships. What are Rape and Sexual Assault? Sexual assault is a general term that includes any forced or unwanted sexual activity, including rape, incest, sexual abuse, and molestation. Sexual assault includes any forced or unwanted touching of an intimate part of the body, such as breasts, buttocks, or genitals. Rape, a specific type of sexual assault, involves any forced, manipulated, or coerced penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth, by a penis or other object. Sexual assault/rape is not a crime of passion but a crime of violence, using sex as a weapon to overpower and to degrade the victim. A rapist can be a stranger or someone the victim knows including a spouse, date, or family member. To find out how to get help, go to Rape and Sexual Assault. What is Stalking? Stalking is the term used to describe specific repeated harassing or threatening behavior toward another person. A stalker can be a stranger or someone the victim knows including a partner, an ex-partner, or a family member. Laws vary by state, but stalking is generally considered to be any unwanted contact between a stalker and his/her victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear. Anyone can be a victim of stalking. Stalkers can be former intimate partners, strangers, or acquaintances. You are being stalked if someone is: Repeatedly following or spying on you Repeatedly calling your home and/or work Repeatedly sending unwanted e-mails, letters, faxes Leaving unwanted gifts or items for you to find Vandalizing or damaging your property Threatening you or someone close to you Repeatedly showing up for no legitimate purpose at places where you are To find out how to get help, go to Stalking. Shelters Safe Horizon is New York City’s largest provider of domestic violence residences with more than 425 beds available throughout the five boroughs. Safe Horizon operates both emergency shelters for crisis situations and transitional housing where women move after several months to plan for a future free from violence. The shelters offer comprehensive services including counseling, housing assistance, life skills and parenting courses, childcare, and medical aid. Job readiness programs include computer training, high school equivalency classes, English as a Second Language, and workshops covering such topics as resume development, interviewing, and conflict resolution. Take a Tour of a Domestic Violence Shelter. Case Management, Counseling, and Support Groups Individual, family, and group counseling are available both in the shelters and in community offices in every borough. In addition to counseling, case managers provide assistance with finding shelter, food, transportation and other practical needs. They work with victims of domestic violence to assist them in planning for a safe future for themselves and their children. Since 1988, the Safe Horizon Counseling Center, a New York State licensed mental health clinic, has specialized in meeting the complex needs of individuals and their families who have been victims of crime and abuse. Our philosophy is one that supports and encourages the active participation of our clients in the course, scope, and pace of their treatment. This helps clients regain the sense of control over their lives that is often lost due to the trauma they experienced. Home Safety Project SAFE is a free service that installs new locks or cylinders for anyone who has filed a police report. To contact Project SAFE, please call the hotline. can batterers get help? The Domestic Violence Accountability Program (DVAP) Classes for Men is a court-mandated education program for men who batter. DVAP offers a curriculum of information about men’s violence against women in our society and how to end it, including information about the historical, social, and cultural aspects of domestic abuse with emphasis on accountability and personal choice. To find out how Safe Horizon can help you, go to Domestic Violence Accountability Program.