Domestic abuse occurs when someone close to you (usually a spouse, a partner or an ex-spouse or ex-partner) behaves towards you in a way that inflicts physical, mental or emotional damage. There is more to domestic abuse than physical violence.

Domestic abuse leaves people feeling humiliated, frightened and trapped. Many women feel unable to escape their situation because of financial concerns, and because they have nowhere safe to go. But there are solutions to the situation. This page looks at your options.

If you have to leave your home because of domestic abuse or threats, you may want to stay at a women's refuge. You don't have to leave your partner permanently in order to get a place in a refuge. You may just need a break, to give you time to think and make decisions.

Many women are reluctant to leave their partners because they don't have the financial resources to support themselves on their own. However, there are ways you can get help.

You may be able to make your partner leave your home. This will depend on whether you own or rent your home and what kind of rights your partner has to live there. You may have to take legal action to remove them and keep them away. Remember, if you are in danger, you can always call the police on 999.

This section looks at the different ways you can take legal action against your partner. Rather than leaving your home, you may choose to apply to the court to keep your partner away from your home instead. Domestic abuse is a crime, and you may also wish to report them to the police and seek compensation.

If you become homeless due to domestic abuse, you can get help from your local council, or from a council in another area. You don't have to be roofless to be homeless - you may be staying with friends and family, or living in a refuge, hostel or bed and breakfast hotel.

It's not just women who become victims of domestic abuse. Men can also experience domestic abuse at the hands of their wives, partners or ex-partners, whether female or male. Whilst specific support services are not as widely available, the statutory and legal remedies open to women wishing to escape an abusive relationship apply equally to men.

This page contains information on and links to organisations that can help women and men undergoing violence or abuse at home.