Our Mission

The Mission of Sanders County Coalition for Families is to provide a safe haven and supportive services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Our Vision is to end violence against women and children by creating a safe community that promotes a culture of equality and respect in relationships.

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic Violence - also called intimate partner violence, battering, spouse abuse, and date rape - occurs when people use physical violence (or the threat thereof), sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, stalking, and/or economic abuse to establish a pattern of coercive power and control over their intimate partner. The victim could be their spouse, ex-spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, or current or former dating partner.

Domestic violence knows no boundaries; it is not isolated to a particular class or ethnic, cultural, or religious group. It can be found anywhere. Statistics collected by the National Institutes of Justice and the Bureau of Justice indicate that women are more at risk for becoming victims of domestic violence and men are more at risk for becoming perpetrators. According to their studies, women make up 90-95% of domestic violence victims while as many as 95% of domestic violence perpetrators are male.

Statutes
Domestic Violence is a crime. Montana's statute refers to it as Partner or Family Member Assault. Click on the statute number to read the actual definition (MCA 45-5-206). http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/45/5/45-5-206.htm