Documenting Abuse: What You Need to Know
disclaimer
For additional information and further questions, please consider consulting a legal professional. The Today Centre does not provide legal advice and can only provide information as outlined in this blog post. Thank you for your understanding and consideration.
What is documentation?
Documentation involves keeping a record of the abuse you have been subjected to. Documentation can be a strategy that some individuals use to help keep themselves safe. Documentation can also be used in court when charges are pressed against a perpetrator.
Below you will find some information on why documentation may be helpful, what could be included in documentation, and some other things to consider.
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definitions
Italicized words are described in the ‘Definitions’ section.
Abusive Language: harsh, violent, profane, or derogatory language that demeans another person’s dignity
Profanity (swear words)
Crude or insulting words
Racial, ethnic, sexist, or other slurs
Criticism that is harsh and persistent
Humiliating the other person
Gaslighting, which is denying the other person’s perceptions
Ridiculing or making jokes at another person’s expense
Blaming, making the other person feel they deserve the abuse
Name-calling, even if disguised as ‘pet names’ or ‘teasing’
Advertent: see ‘direct contact’
Affirming: state as a fact; assert strongly
Affirmation: the act or process of affirming something or being affirmed
Bystander: a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part
Court Proceeding: a formal legal process where a judge hears and decides a case
Documentation: material that provides official information or evidence or that serves as a record
Direct Contact: when the accused or respondent of the protection order contacts you through text, socials, phone, or physical contact
Event Number: a reference number for a reported call for service, regardless of whether an incident number has been assigned, sometimes referred to by police as the file or occurrence number
Evidence: available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid
Affidavit Evidence: a sworn document that enters your written narrative and accompany documents as evidence into a Court. This evidence can then be used for the Court to make decisions and to find in your favour.
Sometimes called ‘exhibits’ and refers to documentation indicating the validity or truth of events. This cannot exceed 40 pages total and does not include videos or audio recordings unless given permission to do so. Should you desire to have videos and audio recordings included in your exhibits, you will need to request permission from the Court during your review, asking to play said audio/video as evidence. Be prepared for the Court to say no. You can include evidence that quotes a voicemail or text message or is a transcription of a video or audio recording. Everything must be printed copies, you cannot present evidence on your phone unless given permission to do as stated above. Each piece of evidence will be signed by a Commissioner of Oaths at filing.
Harassment: aggressive pressure or intimidation
Indirect Contact: (inadvertent) ‘indirect contact’ when the accused or respondent uses a third party to get information to you or from you (ie. texting a friend/family member)
IP Address: a unique string of characters that identifies each computer using the internet to communicate over a network
IPv4 format: 192.158.1.38
IPv6 format: 1301:7db8:86a3:3010:0000:8a4e:0474:7104
Law Enforcement: police officer, RCMP, or peace officer
Perpetrator: a person who carries our a harmful, illegal, or immoral act (ie. the abuser)
Pressing Charges: accuse someone formally of a crime; done by police and does not necessarily lead to a trial
Protection Orders: a catch all term for a legal document that keeps one party from contacting another. May refer to Emergency Protection Orders, Restraining Orders, Peace Bonds, and Release (Bail) conditions.
Threat: a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone
Witness: a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place
Character Witness: someone who can provide background information on the behaviour of the involved parties
Expert Witness: someone with specialized knowledge who can provide clarity on complex evidence, such as medical reports or psychological evaluations
Eyewitness: a person who saw or heard the abuse happen and can provide a direct account
REasons documentation may be helpful
To be used for court proceedings or to make a complaint to the police
Court proceedings can be a lengthy process and documentation may help you remember what has taken place
Only police can press charges and the presence of charges against someone does not necessarily mean that there will be a trial
To keep track of potential changes or escalation of behaviour
To discover patterns in the abuse and to show the history of abusive behaviours
For affirmation of what has been taking place
things you should include in your documentation
Date and Time the event occurred (Example: January 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM or 01/12/25 at 13:00 HRS).
A brief description of the abusive event
Any witnesses to the event (For an Example: a bystander in public or a family member, *not an exhaustive list)
If police are involved, record their names and badge numbers. If there is an event number, record this as well.
Taking photos of any cuts, scrapes, and/or bruises.
Consider including your face in the photo so it cannot be denied that these marks are located on your body and not anyone else’s. This is recommended and may be helpful in future court proceedings but it is not required.
Take screenshots of any text messages sent or received that include abusive language or threats, and print these out. Ensure you have the full message in one screenshot if possible. Do not remove any of your responses or replies to the perpetrator.
Print out any emails that include abusive language or threats.
If there is injury, keep any hospital or medical records responding to treatment.
other considerations
It is important to try to hide the record of documentation somewhere where the person using abusive behaviours cannot find it. Could you keep a copy with a friend or family member?
When recording the date and time of the events, consider using a calendar for your written log. This helps with noting the date and keeping it organized, and can be something used in the future for a court application or danger assessment.
Keep an electronic and a paper copy of the documentation.
Keep a copy of the documentation on a USB stick as a back-up.
You may also wish to document the names of service providers or agencies you have accessed support from.
Logging violations of protection orders along with how these violations or incidents of abuse or harassment made you feel, are both helpful considerations in documenting. Stating a record of what you thought might happen or what made you fearful can help determine the dynamic of the relationship between you and the perpetrator (ex. I thought I was going to be harmed. I feared for my life., etc.).
undaunted.co
Undaunted.Co is a Safe Documentation Space for survivors or victims of family violence (abuse), to document and store evidence if they are not yet ready to report. This website resource was created by Renae Hopf, a survivor of domestic violence, in conjunction with law enforcement personnel.
What is it?
A free safe documentation space where individual users can save and upload entries of evidence (ie. photos, text messages, journal entries, etc.) of abuse. Although any information that is uploaded cannot be edited or changed following the saving process, to preserve the integrity of the documentation, all information can be added to by uploading supplementary evidence that may be associated with the same event.
It is password and encryption protected. All entries are organized chronologically and enables users to select specific data entries they may desire to user for court instead of presenting all of them. At any point, users are able to delete uploaded information. There is also a quick exit button on the webpage.
How do I access undaunted?
If you’d like to learn more about Undaunted.Co before visiting the webpage, you can check out our blog on it here. Or you can visit the website directly here.
what to document
emails
Emails are better evidence when it shows the header and the IP Address. To have the email with this information, do not use a forwarded version of the email or a screenshot.
Emails contain IP Addresses, which could reveal the originating IP Address, and therefore the identity of the sender. Because of that, it’s important not to delete the email and NOT to forward the email to someone else.
If saving email content by printing, be sure to also save the email header (often hidden and can be found in the settings), which is where the IP Address information is stored. Depending on the email platform you are using (ex. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, etc.), how you access the email header will be different (for more information on this, check out the ‘Other Resources’ section below).
If you’re concerned that the abuser could access the account and delete emails, then try to print out the content, including the headers as soon as possible. Forwarded emails can also be accepted as evidence but note that further investigation on the legitimacy and IP Address of the sender may be instigated.
text messages
Text messages that are just stored on a phone may be inadvertently deleted or may be automatically deleted if you run out of storage space.
Take a screenshot or picture of the text messages as soon as possible to retain the evidence. You may forward these images to a trusted individual or email for safekeeping or have someone else take a picture on their phone for you. You can also access the information of the exact time the message was sent by sliding the message to the left of your screen, then taking a screenshot.
Also take a screenshot of the contact page of the sender to show that the harassing messages from the perpetrator are associated with the perpetrator’s phone number.
social media/internet harassment
To keep evidence of harassment on social media, take a screenshot of the harassment/abuse on your computer or device.
Some sites offer alternative ways to document activity on the site or on your page. For example, using Facebook’s “Download Your Information” (DYI) feature, you can capture all content and save for later. There is also option to save posts to a private ‘saved folder’ or to copy the direct web link to the post. You can find more information on this using the ‘Other Resources’ section below.
If working with law enforcement, they could send a letter to the social media or website company and ask them to preserve the account information of the abuser and to not delete it.
You may consider reporting the harassment to the social media or website company directly using the options provided by the company. If it violates the site’s terms of service or content guidelines, they may remove the content. However, be sure to document the abuse first if you want evidence of it.
phone number/Caller ID impersonation
Document your call logs by taking a photograph or screenshot of the Caller ID. Be sure to include the date and time of the calls.
Keep your phone records to show the number of the originating call, date, and time.
Work
Document all incidents of abuse in the workplace. Document how the abusive behaviours affect your work environment, your ability to do your work, and other elements pertaining to your work.
Video recordings
Your safety is absolutely paramount. This is important to understand before deciding to make a video recording.
Although video recordings are useful and helpful for documentation, they are often more obvious than audio recordings. An audio recording may be easier and much safer for you to accomplish, as they are less detectable and do not require a vantage point. Audio recordings are time-stamped just as video recordings are.
Video recordings, if caught, may lead to altercations, physical interactions, and/or property damage.
Protection Orders
Document all indirect and direct breaches of a protection order.
If a breach places you in physical danger or there is a threat made, it may be appropriate to call 911.
Having physical or electronic copies of the protection order for yourself and a trusted individual should be strongly considered.
Stalking
Recording the date/time/location/short description of any instances of stalking. This includes any gifts, notes, or messages left, regardless if the content of the gift may seem ‘nice’. Take any applicable pictures to support this.
tracking devices
Take pictures of any tracking devices and where you found them originally. Keep the actual device.
iPhones are often notified of any airtags within their vicinity. If you are unable to find the actual device, taking a screenshot of the notification an airtag is present should also be considered.
Androids may use the Tracker Detect app or the Unknown Tracker Alert feature on their devices.
other resources
Download Your Information (Facebook)
Facebook’s ‘Help’ page with more information on this topic can be accessed here.
Restraining Orders
More information on Restraining Orders can be accessed on our blog here.
Emergency Protection Orders (EPO)
More information on Emergency Protection Orders can be accessed on our blog here.
A Collection of Resources
More resources regarding family violence can be found on our blog here.
Thank you
A special thank you to Cst. De Paoli with EPS Serious Crimes Branch for consulting with us on the information presented in this blog post. We are grateful for the time he has given us in providing accurate information that is easy to understand and follow. Thank you, Cst. De Paoli for your dedication in creating safer, healthier communities for all of us!