Why do victims stay?
People stay with abusive partners for many different reasons. By understanding these reasons, you can explore your options for living a violence-free life and avoid feelings of guilt and isolation. • You fear you will be beaten more severely. Your batterer has threatened to find and kill or harm you, your children, and your family. • You depend on the batterer for shelter, food, and other necessities. • You have no one to talk to who understands and believes you. • You believe your children need two parents, and you don’t want to raise them alone. • You want to keep the family together and live up to your religious commitment to remain with your partner. • You fear that you won’t be able to take care of yourself and your children alone. • You want to stand by your partner and be loyal to the relationship. • Your partner has threatened to commit suicide if you leave. • You believe that things will get better. • You believe that no one else will love you.
