The best assistance one can give a battered woman is to give her support and information. One of the most important responses to domestic violence has been the creation of shelters across the country that provide support to victims. Women and children come to the shelter after being assaulted or to avoid being assaulted. Once at the shelter, women and children are reassured that they are safe and efforts are made to make them comfortable and to provide them with needed food, clothing, and personal effects. Individual and group counseling services are provided daily.
Women generally stay at the shelter for one to two weeks.
An important part of the continuum of care provided by domestic violence shelters is the delivery of services to children. Regardless of whether children are physically abused, the emotional effects of witnessing domestic violence are very similar to the psychological trauma of being a victim of child abuse. Research indicates that witnessing domestic violence by one parent against the other can have short and long term effects on children s emotional and social development. Young children are directly affected by domestic violence often demonstrate a number of trouble signs. These effects generally become more pronounced during adolescence and, in fact, last well into adulthood.