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IF YOU
HAVE BEEN ABUSED
If you are the victim of dating abuse, help is
available. You have many choices regarding the
type of assistance you may want. These options fall into two broad
categories - filing legal and/or university charges and counseling
assistance. Depending on the
type of abuse you have suffered, seeking medical help may also be a
consideration.
It is important that
you get to a place where you feel safe and can talk to a person about what
happened.Consider telling a
friend, residence life staff member, the police or call the Department of
Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance. Telling someone does
not commit you to filing a formal report or prosecuting.
Domestic violence or
dating abuse is both a criminal and a university offense. Criminal charges
can be filed through the Rutgers University Police, through the
municipality where the incident occurred, where the abuser lives or where
you live. You may also
apply for a temporary restraining order.This is a civil action compelling
the abuser to, among other things, refrain from having contact with
you.
It is important to discuss your plans
with a counselor who is familiar with dating abuse, such as one from the
Department of Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance.The counselor can assist you in
creating a plan to help protect you from further abuse.
To file a complaint through the
University Code of Student Conduct, you may contact the judicial office in
your college, the universitywide Director of Student Judicial Affairs, or
the Department of Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance. The
university has jurisdiction if the individuals involved are students. Both
the police and the university staff will be able to provide you with
information regarding their respective process so that you can make the
decision that is right for you. Consider asking a friend or counselor to
assist you in reporting or obtaining the needed information. Remember, whatever your decision,
there are support services available to help you through this difficult
period.
Back to Dating Violence, Abuse,
and Stalking page
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