Upon hearing the term “domestic violence”, what first comes to most people’s minds is physical abuse. In fact, until MA Bill H.4744 added coercive control in September 2024, Massachusetts’ legal definition of domestic violence focused exclusively on physical abuse and...
Animal abuse and human abuse are connected in several different ways. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households have at least one pet and almost all see their pet as a family member. (Conversation, AWI) Protecting their companion animals is a strong desire for pet-owning...
Safety planning for domestic violence victims and survivors is such a vast and individual topic, we broke it out into two companion blog posts. Last month’s post, “Safety Planning: Reducing Risk & Exploring Options”, outlined the basic facets of a safety plan....
A safety plan is an essential tool for abuse victims to organize their thoughts and implement decisions for a better future. As discussed in last month’s blog post, “Why It’s Not Always Safe/Right to Leave an Abuser”, abusive relationships can be complicated, with...
