Violence, threats and control within a family or cohabiting relationship warrant seeking assistance before injuries become severe. If unsafe now, reach a safe place and contact emergency services; documents or evidence should not delay leaving danger.
Evidence to keep
Current protections and scope
SWD and relevant family-protection services can help assess risk, support and accommodation needs. Women's refuge centres accept enquiries through their official direct or referral channels. Admission and arrangements depend on service assessment; making a police report does not automatically allocate accommodation or settle every practical need.
Cap. 189 provides injunction remedies where the relationship and statutory criteria apply, including restraint of molestation, exclusion and re-entry. Injunctions are separate from criminal investigation, divorce, housing and child arrangements. Urgent applications, service and later hearings have their own requirements, so obtain advice about the actual protection needed.
Act in order: evidence and assistance
- Call 999 for immediate danger and accurately explain injuries to medical staff. If leaving, collect identity documents, medicines and children's essentials only where safe and feasible. Do not return to a threatening situation simply to assemble a complete file before seeking assistance.
- Contact SWD family-protection services or an official refuge channel using a means through which you can safely receive replies. Explain the relationship, children, housing and risks. Tell support staff if a device may be monitored so they can discuss an appropriate and safe contact arrangement.
- Once safe, organise dates, messages, photographs, medical records and police references, including injuries, threats and witnesses. Keep evidence where the other person cannot readily access it. Avoid publishing a refuge location or uploading the complete case file to social media for informal advice.
- For court protection, use Family Court guidance and legal advice to prepare the relationship evidence, incidents and order sought. An urgent without-notice application can still require later service and a return hearing. Read the order's scope and validity and seek assistance promptly for breaches or renewed danger.
Common misunderstandings
You can enquire about an injunction without first completing divorce or other family proceedings. Eligibility depends on the statutory relationship and facts. Registry staff can assist with procedure but cannot compose the case for you or provide the individual legal advice of a lawyer.
Police, social workers, medical services and courts serve different functions. Contacting one does not mean every other need has been met. Discuss children, finances and accommodation separately with support staff, and do not treat a private agreement as a substitute for necessary safety measures.
Turn the problem into a usable record
An initial social-work enquiry can state the relationship, whether you still share accommodation, the latest threat, children involved and a safe time to contact you. Those details help with immediate support; a fuller legal file can be assembled after safety has been addressed.
Seek safety first, then address accommodation, medical evidence and court protection separately.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.
- SWD: support for victims of family and sexual violence
- SWD: women's refuge centres and access channels
- Judiciary: injunction procedures under Cap. 189
Domestic and Cohabitation Relationships Violence Ordinance (Cap. 189)
This is general information; an individual dispute depends on the facts, documents, and current law.