Read this page in another language · Need another language, an interpreter, or accessibility help? See Language Access and Accessibility.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 now.

24/7 hotlines: Domestic violence 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788) · Human trafficking 1-888-373-7888 (text HELP to 233733)

Need Help? Start Here

Reaching out is a brave first step.
You don't need the right words or proof. Just start.

Call us

Call us: 855-HELP-240 (855-435-7240)

Our advocates work around the clock. If no one picks up, leave a message and an advocate will call you back. In immediate danger? Call 911. Need to talk to someone right now? The national hotlines below answer 24/7.

Call 855-HELP-240
Prefer to write?

We'll Match You with an Advocate

Fill out the form so we can match you with the right advocate for your needs.

Start the Form

Tap Quick Exit at the top of the page to leave fast. Then clear this site from your browser history, or use a private window.

Request an advocate

Request an Advocate

Many of our advocates are survivors too. You set the pace. Even "I need help" is enough.

We usually respond within 24 hours.
Need someone sooner? The hotlines below are free, confidential, and open 24/7.

Only six quick answers are required (marked *). Everything else is optional.

About this form

  • Only fill in what you're comfortable sharing. A nickname is fine.
  • We ask for the least we need to reach you safely.
  • Your answers go only to our team's private email inbox. They are never added to a mailing list.
  • This site uses a standard secure (HTTPS) connection. Email isn't fully private, so share only what you're comfortable with and save the rest for a call.
  • Use a safe device, or a private or incognito window, if someone may check your phone or computer.
  • Tap Quick Exit at the top of the page anytime to leave fast.
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Your privacy

Your Privacy Is Protected

  • Everything you share is private and confidential. Only our advocate team sees it, with the few limits explained below.
  • You can use a nickname.
  • You choose how we contact you.
  • We will never call unless you say it's safe.
  • If you're under 18, you can still reach out. Ask us anything about privacy before you share.
  • Tap Quick Exit at the top of the page anytime to leave this site fast.
  • Tip: Use a private or incognito window, or clear this site from your browser history after your visit.
Confidentiality

Confidentiality: What We Keep Private

What you tell us stays private. We don't share your name, your story, or how to reach you with anyone outside our advocate team unless you say it's okay.

There are a few times when we may have to share some information, even without your okay:

  • Someone is in immediate danger. You or someone else is at risk of serious harm right now.
  • A child may be abused or neglected. We may be required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
  • The law requires it. For example, when there is a court order.

If that ever happens, we'll share only what's needed, and we'll tell you when it's safe and legally possible to do so.

Before you share anything, your advocate will explain these limits, so you can decide what you want to tell us. You can ask us about privacy anytime, even before you give your name.

Talk to someone now

24/7 Crisis Lines

All are free and confidential.

National Domestic Violence Hotline

National Human Trafficking Hotline

love is respect (for teens and young adults facing dating abuse)

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (if you feel overwhelmed or unsafe with your thoughts)

Under 18 and someone is threatening to share your photos?

State-specific resources: see Where We Serve.

Find Help in Your State
Step by step

How to Get Help, Step by Step

1. Find a safe moment. If you can, use a phone or device the other person can't check.
2. Reach out your way. Call, email, or fill out the form, whatever feels safest.
3. Share what you're comfortable with. You can start with just "I need help."
4. Make a plan together. We'll talk through what you need next, at your pace.
5. Stay connected. Your advocate checks in, and you can reach back anytime.
What to expect

What Happens When You Contact Us

A real person reaches out to you: a trained advocate. Many of us are survivors too.
We'll check that you're safe to talk.
We listen. No judgment, no pressure.
You decide what happens next. We never make choices for you.
We help you make a safety plan and connect you with group support, retreats, Joyful Journeys, and trusted local partners.
Everything we offer is free.
Language and accessibility

Language Access and Accessibility

Another language. Use the "Read this page in another language" link at the top of this page. It opens the page in Google Translate, which can translate it into Spanish and many other languages. Choose yours from the language menu at the top of the Google Translate page. These are machine translations, so some words may not be exact.

If you call us and would rather talk in another language, just tell us. We'll do our best to arrange an interpreter. The national hotlines on this page also offer help in many languages.

Deaf or hard of hearing? You can reach us through a relay service by dialing 711.

Accessibility. We want this site to work for everyone, including people who use screen readers, keyboards, or zoom. If anything is hard to use, email Info@theanchorprojectnj.org and tell us what happened. We'll do our best to fix it and to help you another way.

Understanding abuse

Understanding Abuse

What is abuse?
Abuse is when someone hurts, controls, or disrespects you in ways that leave you feeling unsafe, afraid, or powerless. It can be physical, emotional, sexual, financial, or digital, like tracking your phone or watching who you talk to.

What is financial abuse?
Financial abuse is when someone controls your money, your resources, or your chances to work or go to school, so that you have to depend on them.

What is trafficking?
Trafficking is when someone uses force, lies, or pressure to make you work or do sexual acts against your will, often for their own profit. If you are under 18 and someone is trading sex for money or things, that is trafficking even if no force is used. It takes away your freedom and your choices.

What is rape?
Rape is any sexual act that happens without your clear consent, whether by force, threats, manipulation, or pressure, or when you are unable to say yes. It is never your fault.

Warning Signs

Warning Signs

Abuse and trafficking don't always look like they do in the movies. They often start slowly, with someone who seems caring at first. If something here feels familiar, trust that feeling.

Signs of Human Trafficking

A person may be trafficked if they:

  • Feel pressured to stay in a job or situation they want to leave
  • Owe money to a boss or recruiter, or aren't paid what was promised
  • Don't have their own ID or passport
  • Seem watched or controlled when talking with others
  • Live where they work, or are cut off from family and friends
  • Have a partner, "manager," or "sponsor" who controls their money, movements, or phone
  • Were offered a job or relationship that seemed too good to be true

Any child under 18 involved in commercial sex is a victim of trafficking.

Source: National Human Trafficking Hotline, humantraffickinghotline.org

Signs of Domestic Violence

Abuse is a pattern one partner uses to gain power and control over the other. Watch for a partner who:

  • Is extremely jealous or tracks where you go
  • Keeps you from friends or family
  • Insults, shames, or embarrasses you, especially in front of others
  • Controls the money or keeps you from work or school
  • Makes your decisions for you
  • Pressures you into sex, drugs, or alcohol
  • Threatens you, your kids, or your pets, or breaks your things

Even one or two of these can be a red flag. No one deserves abuse.

Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline, thehotline.org

Dating and Teen Relationships

Abuse can happen at any age, including in your first relationship. It's not okay if someone you're dating:

  • Checks your phone, or demands your passwords or location
  • Texts or calls nonstop and gets angry if you don't answer
  • Tells you what to wear or who you can hang out with
  • Makes you feel scared, guilty, or "crazy"
  • Pressures you to send photos or do things you're not ready for
  • Threatens to break up, hurt themselves, or expose you if you don't do what they say

Healthy love feels safe, respectful, and free.

Talk to someone: love is respect (see 24/7 Crisis Lines above).

Online Grooming, Sextortion, and Recruitment

Some people go online looking for someone to target. Be careful if someone online:

  • Moves fast, with lots of compliments, gifts, or "I understand you better than anyone"
  • Asks you to keep your friendship secret
  • Wants to switch to a private or different app right away
  • Asks for photos, then threatens to share them unless you send more or pay
  • Offers modeling, a job, travel, or easy money that sounds too good to be true
  • Pretends to be younger, or uses fake profiles

If someone is threatening you with photos:

  • It is not your fault. What they're doing is a crime.
  • Don't pay and don't send more. It rarely stops the threats.
  • Block and report the account, but save the messages.
  • Tell a safe adult or reach out to us.
  • Under 18? See the CyberTipline and Take It Down in 24/7 Crisis Lines above.

Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ncmec.org

Safety Tips

Safety Tips

Your safety comes first. Use what fits your life and skip what doesn't. An advocate can help you build a plan that's just for you.

Make a Safety Plan

A safety plan is a simple, personal plan for staying safer. It can include:

  • Safe people: one or two people you can call or text anytime
  • A code word: a word that tells a friend "call for help"
  • Safe places: where you could go in a hurry
  • A go-bag: ID, phone charger, some cash, medicine, keys, and important papers, kept somewhere safe or with someone you trust
  • Numbers memorized: in case you lose your phone

Need help making a plan? Any hotline above can help, or you can reach out to us using the form.

Phone and Tech Safety
  • Use a phone or computer the other person can't access, like a friend's or a library computer.
  • Change your passwords to ones they can't guess, and turn on two-step login.
  • Check location sharing in your phone settings and apps.
  • Look for unknown apps, shared accounts, or tracking devices.
  • Save proof (screenshots, messages) somewhere safe, like a trusted friend's phone or a new email account.
  • Think before you change everything at once. Sudden changes can tip someone off. An advocate can help you decide.
Clear Your Browsing History
  • Use a private or incognito window when visiting this site.
  • If you didn't, clear your history in your browser settings.
  • Clearing everything can look suspicious. You can delete just the pages you visited.
Our Quick Exit Button

See the Quick Exit button at the top of every page? Tap it to leave this site right away. It opens a different website.

It's fast, but it doesn't erase your history, and the back button can still bring you here. Use a private window too.

Safety at School or Work
  • Tell a counselor, teacher, HR, or security officer you trust.
  • Share a photo of the person who's hurting you so staff can watch for them.
  • Ask to change your schedule, route, seat, or parking spot.
  • Walk with a friend or coworker when you can.
  • If you have a protective order, keep a copy with you.
Leaving Safely

Leaving can be the most dangerous time. Plan ahead if you can.

  • Talk with an advocate before you go.
  • Pick a time when the other person isn't around.
  • Take your go-bag, kids, and pets if possible.
  • Don't announce it on social media.
  • If you're in danger, call 911.

You don't have to figure this out alone.