Fear of what the batterer might do to the victim, children, family, pets, personal belongings or self. “He said he’d kill me if I left.” “He said he’d take the kids and I’d never see them again.”
Fear of the batterer’s relationship with the children.
Fear of losing custody, becoming homeless, forced into poverty, being arrested and losing children.
Effects of abuse: depression and lack of self-esteem.
Embarrassment, shame and/or feeling like a failure.
Guilt: the batterer may have convinced the victim that it is her/his fault.
Financial independence.
Conflicts of religious beliefs and practices
Isolation and lack of emotional support
Reality of access: living with or having casual access to the batterer provides valuable information. It may be possible to tell whether danger is near and to plan around the information. Otherwise, the victim has to guess or predict what to do. Information may be the only power or control the victim has.
Cultural and societal influences: the victim may believe it is her/his responsibility to “fix” the relationship.
The victim may not want to take the children away from their father or mother.