Officials with the Santa Clarita Valley’s Sheriff’s Station released a statement Friday which defined domestic abuse and provided resources for victim support in Santa Clarita.

Domestic violence is defined as a form of battery committed by a spouse, a person with whom the victim is living with, a person who is the parent of the victim’s child, former spouse, fiancé, or fiancée, or a person with whom the victim currently has, or has previously had, a dating or engagement relationship, said Natalie Arriaga from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station in a Facebook post Friday.

Abuse in a relationship is not just physical, and can also be considered:

• verbal (degrading words)
• sexual (spousal rape)
• controlling (preventing time spent with friends or family)
• emotional (constant insulting or inflicting shame)

The Child & Family Center’s Domestic Violence Program in Santa Clarita offers services to provide safety, shelter, and support to survivors of domestic violence while working to break the cycle of abuse and creating healthy relationships, officials said.

With a focus on client-centered trauma, the program is set to enable individuals to achieve physical and emotional safety and heal relationships.

Other provided services include education classes, individual and group counseling, and a 30 day crisis shelter for individuals and their children fleeing domestic violence.

For more information on the Child & Family Center, visit their website here. 

For additional resources such as free confidential guidance, victims of domestic violence or those who know victims of domestic violence are recommended to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

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