“The most dangerous person is someone she already knows,” Nancy Glass, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, told Dateline.
Glass is the Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health which works world-wide to help prevent violence against women.
More than half of female homicide victims are killed in situations linked to intimate partner violence, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – meaning the majority of women murdered in the United States are killed at the hands of a romantic partner or someone connected to the romantic partner.
Domestic violence manifests itself in many ways – from financial to mental to physical abuse. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence indicates red flags and warning signs of an abuser include, but are not limited to: extreme jealousy, possessiveness, unpredictability, verbal abuse, and extremely controlling behavior.
When you are in a bad situation it can be hard to see a way out. Professor Glass co-founded the myPlan app – an interactive tool designed to guide survivors to a personalized safety plan.
The app educates users about domestic violence and features a danger assessment tool, which helps survivors understand the stakes of their situation. It then uses an algorithm to provide suggestions for safety strategies and resources tailored to their circumstances.
Friends of survivors can also use the app to access resources, connect with a chat line and find suggestions for ways to help, such as packing an emergency bag or planning a safe place for an escape.
Here are some ways to get help for yourself, or someone else. If you are in immediate danger call 911.
National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which automatically connects you to a local U.S. rape crisis program based on the area code of your phone number. Secure, online private chat is available at https://ohl.rainn.org/online/. For more information, visit https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline.
Love Is Respect -- the U.S. National Teen Dating Violence Helpline: Call, text or chat 1-866-331-9474 or TTY 1-866-331-8453, text "loveis" to 77054. For more information, visit http://www.loveisrespect.org.
National Coalition against Domestic Violence: For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). For more information, visit https://ncadv.org/.
Stalking Resource Center: The Victim Connect Helpline provides information and referrals for victims of all crime and can be reached at 855-4-VICTIM (855-484-2846). For more information, visit http://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center.
National Network to End Domestic Violence Safety Net Program: This is the group that focuses on the intersection of technology and violence. For more information, visit https://nnedv.org/content/safety-net/.