![]() Karen Scott, a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner in Joplin, Mo., helps abused women make the first steps toward recovery. Photo courtesy of Freeman Health System. |
If you’re the target of domestic abuse, there’s no such concept as “safe at home.”
Instead of providing refuge and security, the confines of home can trap a woman in a cycle of physical and psychological violence that seems unbreakable. Four walls become a cloak for the abuser, a place where violent secrets are hidden from the rest of the world. Sometimes the only way a victim can break the web of suffering is to turn to a shelter for help. But that’s not always an option for many wives, girlfriends, mothers and daughters who need it most. |