Have you considered that family and friends are “first responders” in relational abuse and violence generally? Healthcare providers and clergy are often the next line of contact to detect, educate, counsel or refer the abuser and the victim. By the time law enforcement is involved there are generally a number of other people who have known or suspected the problem. Relational abuse indicates a need for counseling for BOTH parties.
How well prepared are we to respond?
Abusers control their victims through secrecy, humiliation and shame, anger, isolation, threats and other means.
Victims acquiesce to continuation of the abuse and violence through silence, fear of the abuser’s or others’ reaction, protecting the abuser from loss of reputation or other consequences, codependent behavior, lack of healthy personal identity and boundaries, lack of knowledge of how to access resources, financial security anxiety, lack of healthy intimate confidential community, and more.