.png)
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence isn’t just physical harm. It often involves control, fear,
and manipulation, where one partner tries to dominate the other. Abuse can also be:
Physical
Pushing, hitting, kicking, choking, burning, stabbing, and physically restraining
Sexual
Coordination of document service in compliance with legal standards and court timelines.
Destruction of Property
In collaboration with South Carolina Legal Services, My Sister’s House facilitates a free weekly virtual legal clinic. Survivors may engage directly with attorneys to receive procedural guidance and assess legal pathways specific to domestic violence-related issues.
Verbal
Saying hurtful things (especially in public or in front of children), yelling, calling names, etc.
Reproductive
Involves behavior intended to maintain power and control in a relationship related to reproductive health by someone who is, was, or wishes to be involved in an intimate or dating relationship with an adult or adolescent
Economic
Taking the victim’s money, making certain the victim has no access to the accounts, and not allowing the victim to work
Protective Order Drafting and Filing
Controlling a victim’s activities, sleep, food; attacking their self-esteem; degrading or intimidating; threatening suicide, violence, deportation, custody
Who is impacted by domestic violence?
Our neighbors.
Our friends.
Our loved ones.
Our teammates.
Our coworkers.
Our roommates.
Our classmates.
Anyone.
Where it starts
We’re here for you. The team at My Sister’s House can help you create a safety plan and guide you through the next steps in your journey. Call today.
Abuse often follows a pattern. Things can get better before getting much worse.
1. Tension Building
The abuser becomes irritable, controlling, or emotionally distant.
2. Explosion
The tension breaks. Abuse may turn physical, verbal, sexual, or involve threats and destruction.
3. Remorse
The abuser apologizes, makes promises, or shows affection.
Tension building begins again.
🔁
4
are killed every day by domestic violence
36k
victims report an abusive incident to police annually
20
people are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner every minute
How to help
When trying to help someone, you may encounter defensiveness, distrust, or excessive trust, panic, dependency, anger towards others and not the abuser, manipulation, minimizing of abuse, impulsivity, and learned helplessness.
Ask if something is wrong.
Express concern.
Listen and validate.
Offer help.
Support their decisions.
When in doubt, ask yourself
Do I feel afraid of my partner?
Am I being isolated from my family or friends?
Is my partner controlling what I do, who I see or what I spend?
If the answer is yes, it's abuse.