Not having anywhere to go. No way to get to safety. Feared that the abuser would follow through with the threats that they had been making that they would harm or kill the victim if they tried to leave. The victim is dependent on the abuser financially or for other reasons such as transportation or health care.
The abuser has isolated the victim from everyone they knew or loved and the victim feels like they no longer have anyone that they trust to rely on for help. The victim is afraid that the legal system and law enforcement would not help to keep them safe from the abuse.
Religious beliefs. They have children and the victim feels that they could not support them without the abusers income. The victim has never worked before because the abuser would not let them and they have no skills to fall back on to work to support themselves and their children.
They are fearful of losing custody of their children. They had no support from friends or family. There was a mix of good and bad times throughout the relationship and they are still hopeful that the abuser will change like they've always promised they would. Barriers to Leaving Domestic violence always stands the chance of becoming lethal or physically damaging. Blaming the victim is the wrong approach, no matter how common the belief is.
You must remember that no one deserves to be or enjoys being abused and that leaving a violent relationship is most often the most dangerous time for the victim. Batterers often feel very much out of control at this point and tend to retaliate and become more violent as a result. Victims of domestic do leave and seek help from an average of at least seven different resources at least three times each twenty one requests!
