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How to Safely Exit a Domestic Violence Situation

Eric Skwarczynski • Apr 17, 2020

"If a spouse or child is being abused, what's the safest way to make that exit?"

I asked this question to Zack & Heather Knight, both former law enforcement officers who worked heavily with victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Now, they run a non-profit called "Surviving to Thriving" that helps equip survivors of domestic violence with the tools they need to overcome and THRIVE.

Their answers were extremely practical and extremely important, so I decided to condense and compile them for this article. If you'd prefer to listen to the information, you can tune in below.

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How to Plan:

Find somebody that you trust. Someone you're able to talk to about that situation. If possible, arrange for somewhere to go for at least that first night.

Do research to find a nearby emergency or the closest police station. If you walk into any police department and inform them you need a domestic violence shelter – as long as your over the age of 18 – they will direct you to the right location. 

What to Pack:

Make a a go-bag.

Pack essentials. The shelter will have toiletries like shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Just grab your passport, a pair of clothes, and credit cards. If you're being closely monitored by an abusive spouse, you probably won't have cash, but if you are getting a allowance from your spouse and they are not checking exactly how much money you're spending, try to save something – even a dollar or two at a time – and build up $40 to $50 to have for that first night.

If you don't have a way to start getting money, just leave. At some point you'll be able to build that fund up. Most times when you get to the shelter, they have more resources there. 

When to Leave:

Pay close attention to your spouse's routine. When they leave for a routine activity – work, gym, etc. – wait ten to fifteen minutes to ensure they didn't forget something last minute that would bring them back home suddenly. Exit the home.

Why You Should NOT Go Back Home:

When people leave and come back, there's always a form of punishment involved and it escalates the situation.

If you leave and come back, it's going to be worse.

This is why preparation is so important. If you're not properly prepared for your exit, you might fall on your face or not have the necessary resources lined up. This leads many to return to their abuser or end up in another similar situation. 

Go somewhere sustainable, find a resource that will help like Surviving to Thriving in the Atlanta area, and have that plan in place for you to succeed.

What to Do If You Have Children:

If you have children, take them with you. Do not leave them in the home. The abuser can use that as collateral.

Most emergency shelters allow kids with them. That first night, don't worry about legal ramifications for taking your kid with you. Because the topic of domestic abuse has become such a prevalent thing, a police officer is not going to send you back to your household to continue being abused. They will allow you to stay separated until proceedings happen. When you get to the shelter, they'll call DEFACS or CPS who will do an evaluation and then set up supervised visitations with the kids and your partner because they still do have parental rights.

What to Do If You're Under 18 and Both Parents Are Abusive:

Most police departments take it very seriously when a kid comes in and makes an allegation. 

However, if your county is not as progressive, stand your ground. Really dig in and say, "I don't want to go back," over and over again. Do not let them convince you to go back into the home until DEFACS or CPS comes out or somebody comes and does an evaluation at your house

Be very adamant about it. If your parents are really good at manipulation, they may try to convince police officers that nothing needs to be done.

Don't allow your parents to manipulate the police officers. Obviously, the best thing to do is have evidence. But try to come in with – at least – documentation. Try keeping a daily journal of abuse – ensuring it's hidden somewhere your parents will not see it. At least that's something that you can bring to the police and say, "I've been writing everything that's happened to me for the last three months. Can you please do something about it?"

DEFACS and CPS are under such a light right now that they're trying hard not to let people fall through the cracks.

If you can't get to the police on your own, there are mandated reporters. These are people that you can go to that are mandated by law to report domestic violence of any sort. So that could include sexual abuse, domestic abuse, anything along those lines.

Your teachers, principal, doctors, nurses at school are all mandated reporters.

Just keep in mind, if you are attending a private IFB church or school where the teacher or principal is likely disobey mandates like this or report back to your parents, try to wait and find a third party like a doctor or nurse who are guaranteed to follow through.

Whether you read this for yourself or to learn how to better assist a friend, hope this article helped you better understand how to escape a domestic abuse situation.

If you have more questions, I definitely encourage you to reach out to Heather and Zack at Surviving to Thriving.

You can message them here:

If you are not currently a victim of domestic abuse but appreciate the work Surviving to Thriving is doing to prevent abuse and equip survivors with the tools they need to thrive, please consider donating toward their mission by visiting https://tothriving.org/
By Eric Skwarczynski 02 Apr, 2023
Dr. Steve Pettit – president of Bob Jones University – a fundamentalist college in South Carolina, resigned on March 31, 2023.
By Eric Skwarczynski 05 Sep, 2021
The texts read as follows: "Please consider the following Bible commentary and commandments related to sexual assault. Scripture: Genesis 39:7-21 What MUST we do when someone makes unwanted sexual advances? 1. Joseph Refused 2. Joseph RESISTED 3. Joseph RAN. 4. Potiphars wife CRIED OUT. See Deuteronomy 22:23-27. Look at Jn. 8 For Jesus’s application in the NT. Note also that this was before Moses received the law. Common sense and human conscience tells us that this is proper. 5. Potiphars wife had EVIDENCE. A coat. 6. Potiphars wife REPORTED the attempt the SAME DAY. She told her husband when he came home from work. 7. Potiphar Went to the POLICE! Immediately. If someone knows to do good and does not do it then they have SINNED. This summarizes a message I intended to bring to our church family but have not been allowed to deliver. Summary: People accuse pastors of covering sin when they themselves did not follow the Biblical Instruction in Genesis 39. I have two other studies on this subject. The passages and topics are as follows: 1st. Pastors are not Policemen. Go to the police immediately to report a Crime! Go to your pastor for Comfort! Study Romans 13:1-6. 2nd. What Sins ought to be covered> See 1 Peter 4:8. Please pass this on to anyone and everyone possible! It’s time to unsheath the sword of the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. I should have asked for a copy of the police report when people came with accusations. I was asked to be a detective. Never again.

If you have a car stolen who should you call? Call the police. If you have someone breaking into your home who do you call? Not your pastor. He does not bear that sword of justice. It belongs to civil authority! If you were assaulted or molested and did not report it to Gods other ministers as taught in Romans 13 your car or house is evidently more important than the well-being of your family member. Who has done the cover up?

Please distribute this as widely as possible for the truths sake!!" *A little while later, Kingsbury sent another text*

 "Don’t bother sending it to anyone. Thanks."
By Eric Skwarczynski 27 Jun, 2021
I know what you're thinking... "Oh great, another guy offering his unsolicited takes on purity culture. Just what the world needs." You're probably not off-base for feeling like that. The staggering amount of opinions swirling around the internet right now in the wake of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting and, especially the now-deleted Matthew West song, Modest is Hottest are exhausting. But if you can find the patience within yourself, please hear me out, I won't be long. I got the less painful side of purity culture. All men do. That's just the truth. It's equally toxic (more on that in a minute), but it's less painful. The majority of the shame, extreme restrictions, and hurtful rhetoric tends to fall on the shoulders of young women. The same women, no doubt, who have been raising their voices to share their rightful hurt after watching Modest is Hottest and seeing it warmly received by many of their fellow Christians. On the surface, it's easy to miss why purity culture and the Christian conversation is, in fact, so toxic. It began, no doubt, in the minds of well-intentioned parents and pastors. It has been shared and developed by well-intentioned Christian authors. It even had a song written about it by a well-intentioned Christian musician that has been shared by well-intentioned Christian fans. But good intentions do not mean good results. As they say, the road to hell is paved with them. One could write a book on the reasons that purity culture and the church's teachings on sex and modesty misses the mark. In fact, several great books have been. I'd recommend those interested to read The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Gregoire, Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Welcher, Prey Tell by Tiffany Bluhm, or Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd for a start. If you're not a reader, you can watch an interview like this one with Rachel Welcher.
By Eric Skwarczynski 26 Jan, 2021
The quote above represents just one of the gut-punching passages within Prey Tell , written by Tiffany Bluhm. The new book – releasing in March 2021 from Brazos Press – “explores the dynamics of power and lack of accountability that occur within many organizational contexts and encourages women and men to speak out in the face of unjust systems.” (Publisher’s Summary) Prey Tell is undeniably well-researched, but it also comes from personal experience. In the opening chapter, Bluhm recounts the terror of spotting her sexual abuser in public – the person she spent so long trying to avoid entirely – as well as the racially-charged mistreatment she experienced as an adopted child from East India.
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By Eric Skwarczynski 15 Dec, 2020
By Eric Skwarczynski 03 Dec, 2020
As most of you have seen, I had planned to lead a peaceful gathering of survivors at North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, CA. The event was scheduled for January. After an immense amount of time and thought weighing it out, I’m making the decision to cancel the event. Sincerely, I can say that the motivation behind the event was a positive one. I know the motivation of those attending was also positive. The goal of the rally - like everything I do with the Preacher Boys Podcast - is to try to shed light on abuse, give a voice to survivors, and spark helpful conversations. My reason for cancelling comes from that same place. While there are extremely valid arguments that need to be made, and discussions about NVBC and other fundamentalist institutions that need to be had, I don’t feel comfortable about this particular forum for a few reasons. 1. Context is a crucial element for productive conversations. I try to be very careful not to place myself or others in situations where words can be taken out of context, misconstrued, or ideas can be misrepresented. I do not feel comfortable with the fact that anyone could take a picture of the peaceful gathering and position it as a riot, bitter people screaming at NVBC attendees, or people who hate church on some vendetta. Not one of these things are true, and I don’t want to give people the chance to say that they are. 2. Optics matter. I have been accused of attacking the Church at large, as well as Christianity and local churches broadly. The reality is, I am a strong believer myself. As such, I unashamedly love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Church. I'm thankful for the reality of the Gospel and the truth of God's Word. As I mentioned in the first point, I don't wish to give others the opportunity to say that this is a full-fledged attack on the Christian religion in it's entirety. Nor do I want to give the signal to pastors that I am going to show up on their sidewalk with a picket sign the minute there is a disagreement. There are people within North Valley Baptist Church and congregants and staff in churches like it who are reaching out for help and guidance, many on the brink of leaving and finding healthier ministries. I don’t want to put those good transitions in jeopardy by giving the vibe that we are exactly how we will be inevitably presented to be. I don’t want to confirm isn’t the minds of those in the congregation that my goal is to persecute the Church at large. My goal is to help good people get out of bad situations. 3. COVID restrictions. COVID rates are on the rise in California right now, and even many within my family have contracted the virus. I also recently lost someone due to the disease. I don’t want to put risk on anyone, and also, want to respect the current mandates and CDC recommendations. Conclusion I feel like the potential cons of this largely outweigh any potential positive. For the sake of the cause at large, I need to take precautions to be - for lack of a better term - above reproach. I still want to project the truth as loudly as possible, but I want to do it in a way that is defensible against scrutiny or misrepresentation. For that reason, I don’t feel comfortable attaching the protest to the Preacher Boys Podcast at this time. I know that there might be disagreement with me, but I truly feel this is the best decision.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The information in this article was made available by Jonathan Grisham Burchfield, creator of Stop Pastoral Abuse. ( https://www.facebook.com/stoppingpastoralabuse ) TRIGGER WARNING: The following article contains descriptions as of sexual, and mental abuse toward minors, and one photographic piece of evidence of child abuse and neglect.
Protester Holds Sign
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Protester at Paris Hilton's peaceful march at Provo Canyon School holds a sign that reads, "The Kids You Abuse Today Will Be the Ones Who Take You Down Tomorrow.:"
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