401 North Washington Street
Suite 100
Rockville, MD 20850-1703
PHONE: 240-777-8300
TTY: 301-279-1034
FAX: 301-279-1318
Email: cfw@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

	Introduction
	Crime Reports for Montgomery County, Maryland, Show that:
	Signs Your Daughter May Be in an Abusive Relationship:
	Talk to Your Daughter
	Give your daughter the information she needs to protect herself.

Most parents warn
their children to
beware of strangers.

Good advice . . .
but not
good enough.

Many more women and
girls are assaulted, raped
and murdered not by
strangers, but by:

• people they know and trust

• people with whom they share a home, or

• people they invited into their homes

Crime Reports for Montgomery
County, Maryland, Show that:

• 80% of all women who were murdered were
  killed by someone they knew (1994 - 1998)
  
• 78% of all reported rape victims either knew
  or were related to their attachers (1998)
  
• 50% of all reported rape victims were between
  11 and 20 years old (1998)
  
• The incidence of rape increases sharply between the
  after school hours of 2 and 4 p.m.
  
  

Girls and women are much more likely to be
victims of date rape or domestic violence
than of street crime.

Signs Your Daughter May Be
in an Abusive Relationship:

(The symptoms below can be signs of many
problems, but they may also be indicators
of an abusive relationship.)

• Heightened anxiety (fear of "setting off"
  her boyfriend)
  
• Depression; thoughts of suicide
  
• Bruises; broken bones; cuts; heavy
  make-up to cover up injuries
  
• Excessive guilt; shame; indecisiveness
  
• Feeling inadequate; low self-esteem
  
• Truancy; falling grades
  
• Withdrawal; passivity
  
• Heightened aggressiveness

Talk to Your Daughter . . .

Getting out of an abusive relationship is often difficult and can be very dangerous.

In fact, the most perilous time for a woman is when she tries to leave an abusive situation. It's much better not to get into one.

Teach her to recognize the signs of violence
in others, and to avoiddating people who:

• Try to control or restrict her behavior and activities.
• Have angry outbursts
• Criticize or demean her or those she cares about
• Intimidate or threaten her
• Physically restrain or hurt her
• Take foolish risks to show off
• Enjoy hurting animals
• Abuse drugs or alcohol/pressure her to drink
  or take drugs.
• Isolate her from other relationships
• Pressure her for sex or dates
• Make all the decisions for her
• Blame her for his abusive behavior

Tell Your Daughter . . .

• Her safety is more important than the
  breaking of any family rule. Tell her that no
  matter what the situation, she can always
  come to you, and she can call for a ride
  home, anytime -- no questions asked.
  
• Assaultive behavior is always the responsibility of the offender. It is never her fault if she is abused.
  
• In every relationship, she has the right to say "No," to ask for what she needs, to make her own decisions, to trust herserlf, to be understood and cared about, to be treated well.

Give your daughter
the information
she needs to
protect herself.

For additional resources, contact:

Montgomery County Victim Assistance and
Sexual Assault Program (VASAP)
240-777-1355//d01-315-HELP (24 hour crisis line)
e-mail:VASAP@montgomerycountymd.gov
www.VASAP.org

Montgomery County Abused Persons Program (APP)
301-315-4673 (crisis line)
240-777-4195 (intake)

Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence
1-800-MD HELPS (24 hour helpline)
301-352-4574
e-mail mnadv@aol.com
www.mnadv.org

Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Inc.
1-800-983-RAPE (toll free)
www.mcasa.org

Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
240-777-8300
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

This brochure is produced by the
Montgomery County Commission for Women (CFW).