Safety Alert
Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid your internet and/or computer usage might be monitored, please use a safer computer or call our 24-hour hotline, (615) 242-1199 or
1 (800) 334-4628.
Radio interview details - How can you safely leave a violent home?
Domestic Violence
Relationships have ups and downs, but there are certain types of behavior in any relationship that are unacceptable and abusive. If you think that your partner is abusive or you suspect that someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call the YWCA Crisis & Information Line, it is free and confidential, 24 hours a day. (615) 242-1199 or (800) 334-4628.
NEWSFlash
Partner Violence, Teen Pregnancy Linked
A recent study finds a significant connection between abusive relationships and teen pregnancy. Published in the journal Ambulatory Pediatrics and released in late 2007, the study finds that one quarter of adolescents with histories of abusive relationships said that their abusive partners had actively tried to get them pregnant by manipulating condom use, sabotaging birth control and making explicit statements about wanting them to become pregnant. The study is based on interviews with 61 girls from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds with a known history of intimate partner violence who live in the poorest neighborhoods in Boston. The analysis included 53 girls age 15 to 20 who reported being sexually active and involved in relationships that included recurring patterns of physical, sexual or emotional abuse from a male partner. One in four of these girls (26 percent) reported that their partners were actively trying to promote pregnancy even when they tried to avoid it.
Relationship abuse is a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviors used to maintain power and control over a former or current intimate partner. An abusive relationship means more than being hit by the person who claims to love or care about you. Abuse can be emotional, psychological, financial, sexual or physical and can include threats, isolation and intimidation. Abuse tends to escalate over time. When someone uses abuse and/or violence against a partner, it is always part of a larger pattern to try to control him/her.
Services at YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee
Crisis & Information Line
The YW maintains a 24-hour crisis and information line answered by staff and volunteers who are trained in crisis intervention. Each caller gets help developing a safety plan for themselves and their children.
Confidential Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence
The YWCA Weaver Domestic Violence Center is the largest domestic violence shelter in the state of Tennessee and is housed at a confidential location. Shelter services include: therapeutic counseling and case management for all residents, therapeutic programming for children and teens, addictions treatment, legal advocacy and limited on-site medical care. “After care” is available for many women and children when they leave the shelter. In July of 2008, we will begin to offer affordable transitional housing for women and families who need it when they leave the shelter.
Community Outreach 
The YWCA seeks to promote awareness about domestic violence and works in cooperation with other organizations that serve victims of domestic violence. Outreach staff are available for domestic violence presentations in schools, businesses and civic organizations.
Support Groups
Support groups meet weekly in convenient neighborhood locations. Some groups have free child care available. Topics include self esteem, safety planning, assertiveness, characteristics of domestic violence and healthy/unhealthy relationships. If you are interested in learning more about support groups, call (615) 242-1199.
Domestic Violence Links and Resources
Additional Resources:
RASAC (Rape & Sexual Abuse Center)
www.rasac.org
Metro Police Domestic Violence Unit
www.police.nashville.org/bureaus/investigative/domestic/default.htm
Family and Children's Services
www.fcsnashville.org
Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
www.tcadsv.org
Renewal House
www.renewalhouse.org
Domestic Violence & Incest Center
www.dvirc.org.au
Families of Youth with Disabilities
www.familypathfinder.org
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
www.ncadv.org
Family Violence Prevention Fund
www.endabuse.org
Domestic Violence Intervention Services for Batterers
www.peace.citysearch.com/
United Way of Williamson County
www.uwwc.org
Magdalene House
www.magdalenehouse.com
League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
www.leagueforthedeaf.org
Ear Foundation
www.earfoundation.org
Vanderbilt Women's Center
www.vanderbilt.edu/WomensCenter
"He would say to me 'You don't belong there. You don't have any broken bones, or bad injuries.' He was wrong. I know that now." - LaTonia
Resources for Health Care Providers:
E-journal: Family Violence Prevention and Health Practice
www.jfvphp.org
Nursing Network on Violence Against Women, International
www.nnvawi.org
Vermont Medical Society Resource Page on Domestic Violence
www.vtmd.org
National Dating Abuse Helpline
www.loveisrespect.org