National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Confidential support, options and refuge referrals for women, run by Refuge.
0808 2000 247Free, 24 hours a day
Call, chat or plan onlineSafety and urgent help
Get help and plan safely.
AfterTheChurch is not an emergency, medical, legal, safeguarding or crisis-response service. The independent services below can help you assess risk, find urgent care and plan what to do next without requiring you to decide everything today.
Immediate danger
Call the emergency number where you are.
Say where you are, what is happening now, whether anyone is injured, whether weapons are present and whether children or dependent adults are involved. In the UK, if you call 999 from a mobile and cannot speak, listen and press 55 when prompted. Elsewhere, follow the operator’s instructions.
Before contacting a service
Make the contact safer for you.
- Use a device, phone plan or email account the controlling person or organisation cannot access, if possible.
- Tell the adviser whether it is safe to call back, leave voicemail, text or send email. You can say “do not contact me” unless you call again.
- Ask about confidentiality, record keeping and the limits of confidentiality before giving names, addresses or evidence.
- If you need an interpreter, disability access, medication, transport, pet accommodation or help for children, say so early.
- Do not confront anyone, announce a plan to leave or collect evidence if discovery could increase the danger.
United Kingdom
UK support contacts
Use 999 for immediate danger. These services cover different needs and eligibility.
Men’s Advice Line
Specialist domestic-abuse support for men, including trans and non-binary people.
0808 801 0327Check current opening times and webchatGalop
Domestic-abuse support for LGBT+ people, plus specialist help with hate crime and conversion practices.
0800 999 5428Check helpline hours and online optionsRape Crisis England & Wales
Specialist support if something sexual happened without consent, or you are unsure.
0808 500 2222Free phone and online chat, 24 hours a day; ages 16+
Open the support lineNHS urgent mental-health help
Urgent assessment and connection to a local mental-health professional.
111Call 111 and select the mental-health option
Read NHS urgent-help guidanceSamaritans
A listening service for distress, despair or suicidal thoughts.
116 123Free, day or night
See what happens when you callChildline and NSPCC
Childline supports anyone under 19. Adults worried about a child can contact the NSPCC.
Childline: 0800 1111NSPCC: 0808 800 5000Report a concern or get adviceHousing, benefits, debt and legal routes
Shelter can help with homelessness and housing rights. Citizens Advice can help map benefits, debt, employment, family and consumer options.
Find your local Citizens Advice serviceFor housing help, you can also use the Shelter emergency helpline and webchat. Services and law differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so use each organisation’s location checker.
Norway
Norway support contacts
Use police 112 or medical emergency 113 for immediate danger.
VO-linjen
Norway’s national helpline for anyone affected by domestic violence or abuse, including concerned relatives.
116 006Free, anonymous if preferred, 24 hours a day; Norwegian and English
Call, chat or find local servicesLegevakt
Immediate medical or mental-health help that cannot wait for your GP. Call 113 when life or health is in immediate danger.
116 117Free to call, 24 hours a day
Read official medical guidanceMental Helse
Anonymous emotional support when you need someone to talk to.
116 123Free; phone and chat are open around the clock
See Helsenorge’s support optionsChildren, young people and sexual abuse
The emergency helpline for children and young people is 116 111. Dinutvei lists sexual-abuse support, crisis shelters and local services.
116 111Find a specialist serviceA local crisis shelter can provide a safe place, advice, guidance, legal help and referrals. You can contact one even if you do not need accommodation or are not ready to leave. Find one through Dinutvei.
United States
US support contacts
Use 911 for immediate danger or a life-threatening medical emergency.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Live advocates for relationship abuse, safety planning and local referrals.
800-799-7233Text START to 88788Free and confidential, 24 hours a day
Chat with a live advocateRAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
Specialist support for sexual assault and connection to local services.
800-656-4673Text HOPE to 64673Free and confidential, 24 hours a day; English and Spanish
Open the hotline and chat988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
A crisis counsellor for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or concern about another person.
Call or text 988Free and confidential, 24 hours a day
Chat with 988211 local essentials
Local referrals for housing, food, healthcare, bills and other essential services.
211Search local 211 servicesOther countries
Find verified help where you live
Do not assume a number works outside its stated country. Use a country directory and confirm the service’s remit before sharing identifying information.
Lila.helpVetted gender-based violence helplines and organisations in almost every country.NO MORE Global DirectoryDomestic and sexual violence services searchable by country and region.Find A HelplineVerified crisis and emotional-support services in more than 150 countries.Child Helpline InternationalLocal child and young-person helplines by country.
If words are difficult
You can read this out or paste it into a chat.
“I am experiencing control or abuse connected with a religious community. I am worried about [the immediate risk]. I need help with [safety planning / medical care / housing / money / a child / legal options]. It is [safe / not safe] to call me back. Please do not leave a voicemail. Before I give my name, can you explain confidentiality and when you must share information?”
You do not need perfect language, proof or a complete plan. If the first service is not the right one, ask: “Who can make a safe referral, and what will you share with them?”
A safety plan can help before, during or after leaving
A safety plan is a personal, practical set of options for different levels of risk. It is not a promise to leave and it should not be controlled by another person. Start with the area that would make one realistic option more available.
Choose one or two trusted contacts, agree on a safer way to communicate and decide what a code word should mean.
Consider identification, medical information, financial records, important messages and contact details. Store copies only where discovery will not increase risk.
Identify independent medical care, necessary medication, prescriptions and any health decision that should not depend on a religious leader’s permission.
Map what you can access now, what the organisation controls, where you could stay briefly and how you could travel without relying on the same authority.
Questions that can clarify the level of risk
- Has anyone threatened violence, suicide, exposure, shunning, homelessness or loss of children?
- Are your phone, accounts, transport, medication, money or location being monitored or controlled?
- Would seeking outside advice, reducing attendance or saying no trigger punishment?
- Is a child, dependent adult or another survivor currently unsafe?
- What would need to be available for the next twenty-four hours to be safer?
Make a private safety record only when it is safe
You may find it useful to record dates, exact messages, injuries, financial demands, witnesses and the names of professionals contacted. Separate what you directly observed from what another person reported. Store copies somewhere the organisation or controlling person cannot access. Do not collect evidence when discovery, illegal access or confrontation would increase risk.
Technology may reveal more than browser history
Shared accounts, location services, family phone plans, cloud backups, connected vehicles, email recovery addresses and message previews can expose activity. Abruptly changing settings may alert a person who is monitoring the device. When possible, use a safer device and obtain specialist technology-safety advice before making changes.
What the Quick Exit button does
The button immediately replaces this website with Google. It does not display a confirmation message. It also does not erase browser history, downloads, network logs, screenshots, synced tabs or records held by an employer, school, internet provider or device administrator.
Private browsing is limited
Private-browsing mode can reduce records stored on the device after the private window closes, but it does not make activity invisible to networks, websites or monitoring software. Use a safer device where opening a private window, clearing history or changing settings could itself create danger.
Choose support independent of the organisation involved
Depending on the situation, useful support may include an independent doctor, counsellor, domestic-abuse advocate, safeguarding professional, lawyer, debt adviser, housing service, police service or specialist helpline. Ask about confidentiality, record keeping, mandatory reporting, fees and conflicts of interest before sharing more than is necessary.
Contact details and opening hours can change. The services above were checked on 5 August 2026. If a line does not connect, use its official website or your local emergency service. AfterTheChurch does not receive referral fees from these services.