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What Is Domestic Violence?

 

   People often think of domestic violence only in terms of the black eyes and bruises that can be seen. In reality, domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors that abusive men use to control their intimate partners. As adaptive and resilient as they are, women who have been battered nevertheless face a daunting number of barriers to escaping the violence. In addition to the very real threat of harm or death to themselves or their children, victims must contend with the accompanying financial and emotional hardship. They also often weigh cultural and religious values that emphasize keeping families intact, and respond to the violence in spite of justice and social service systems that don’t always provide adequate safety and support.

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  People who have never experienced abuse often find it difficult to imagine why women don’t leave and how the abuse can continue for years. Relationships almost never start out abusive. It is important to remember that love and intimacy precede the abuse, which can make it difficult to break away. Abusive relationships are not violent all the time. There are periods when a woman is reminded why she fell in love with her partner. Abusers effectively weave together intimacy and abuse to control their partners.

Women who have been battered sometimes express confusion about the recurring nature of the violence they experience in their relationship. It seems to them to be unpredictable and impulsive. Domestic violence, however, is neither random nor haphazard. It is a complex pattern of increasingly frequent and harmful physical, sexual, psychological and other abusive behaviors used to control the victim. The abuser’s tactics are devised and carried out precisely to control her.

 

Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Publication “Understanding the Nature and Dynamics of Domestic Violence” Pg 1

NOW WHAT?

The unknown is a little scary. Your next step is your decision. We want you to know that you have options. If you chose to leave we can walk you through that process, try to help explain what it might look like, and/or help you find resources to aid in the process. If you choose to stay , again that decision is up to you and we will not judge you. We just want to make sure that you are safe and you know we are here for you. Both decisions are yours alone to make, we can help inform you but will not be able to make the decision for you. The one thing we do want to do no matter what your decision is , is come up with a safety plan with you. The following pages are resources to help you plan for your next step. If you have any questions at any time please feel free to reach out to us.

Approximately 47 percent of women and men have experienced at least one form of psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetimes (Breiding et al., 2014).

Domestic Violence

Victim Adovocate Unit

Belton, Missouri

 Police Department

7001 E. 163rd St.
Belton, MO  64012


General Calls: 816.331.5522
Dispatch: 816.331.1500 
TIPS: 816.348.4499 
Fax: 816.322.7057 

Crystal Beal

Victim Advocate

816-348-4430

bpdvau@gmail.com

Sexual Assault

Upcoming Events 

Sexual Assault Awareness Virtual Event

Be the rock

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April 10th, 2020

Your Belton Police Department Victim Service Unit has placed some teal rocks around some high foot trafficked areas. While everyone is out walking and practicing their social distancing, be on the lookout for one of our rocks. If you find one, you can keep it or leave it for the next person to see. We do ask that you take a picture of it and post it on social media with #SAAM #BPDvAU #Yourstorymatters . Also, you can post it on our facebook page.

What we are hoping for with today's event, is even though we all might need these empowering words right now when our world is kind of crazy, there might be people out there who are struggling with being a victim and might need to know that they are not alone and that their story matters.

Do your research

April 11th, 2020

Did you know that the Belton Police Department Victim Service Unit has its own website? BPDVAU.ORG. We believe in fostering a culture that prioritizes consent and respect, and responds to and supports survivors and their allies. One of the ways the unit does this is by keeping several different resources posted here for not only domestic violence, but also for sexual assault.
Not only do we have information and resources but there are several different repatible websites you can visit. RAINN, NSVRC, and MCADSV are a few of them.
Today’s Sexual Assault Awareness Virtual Event, we are asking you do research on Sexual Assault Awareness and how you do your part. Once, you have done this, post to your social media what you have found out with #SAAM #BPDVAU

Donating new undergarments

April 12th, 2020

Sometimes when a victim is sexually assaulted, they might need to give the SANE nurse or the police department their undergarments for evidence. Only 5 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison. This is one of the reasons why it is important for law enforcement to collect all the evidence that they can.

 

Today’s Sexual Assault Virtual Event we are asking that you purchase undergarments through amazon or your local store and have them shipped to the Belton Police Department or Cass County Sheriff's Office.

When we have a victim of sexual assault and their undergarments are requested for evidence, we will be able to supply this to our victims. This allows the victim to be able to replace them instead of wearing nothing at all under their clothing when they are done.

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This website was made possible by the STOP VAWA grant. 

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