"My son hides in his room when we have an argument. He cries in silence. I had to do something as a parent."

Children are also victims of intimate partner violence, whether they are present for the violence or not. They live in this situation at their own pace, often different from that of their parents.

Here are the ways in which intimate partner violence can impact a child's life:

• Their development, their health
• Their personality, their character
• Their behavior, their emotional state
• Their relationship with you, with their other parent, and their siblings
• Their relationship with their environment (school, college, work, social life)

Here is how to support children who live in a context of intimate partner violence:

• Do not expose the children either directly or indirectly to violence
• Think of a place for them to go during an episode of sudden violence
• Share your situation of violence with your children's doctor
• Keep up leisure activities and social links outside of the family
• Speak to your friends and family about the situation and ask for their help with your children
• Ask for professional counselling for them
• Contact the Service for the Protection of Minors to share your worries and ask for support
• Share your concerns with professionals surrounding any judicial decision that relates to your children and questions of custody
• Listen to the feelings of children

Our mother-child counselling team can support you for all questions relating to your children.