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Leaving an abusive relationship is a highly personal, individual decision, but all survivors benefit from having trusted people during this time. Since those experiencing abuse are often isolated by their abusers, it’s important to know how you can support survivors on the path to finding safety.
Watching someone endure an abusive situation can be difficult under any circumstances, and it’s not always clear how best to respond when you see the warning signs of abuse. Your instinct may be to “save them” from the relationship, but abuse is never that simple. There are many ways that abuse appears and there are many reasons why people stay in abusive situations.
Understanding how power and control operate in the context of abuse and how to shift power back to those affected by domestic violence are some of the most important ways to support survivors in your life.