What to do if you feel threatened
Posted: 23.11.2025
Updated: 18.12.2025
If you feel threatened, it is important to consider all possible ways of eliminating this feeling of threat and the threat itself.
Perhaps you have been in a situation where someone has been violent towards you before, and you are afraid that the violence could happen again. Maybe you know that someone could become aggressive sooner or later. If so, plan your actions in advance as much as possible.
Consider:
- who could stop the violence and how;
- make a plan for how you will act in a critical situation.
- Remember that violence is a crime for which the perpetrator can be held criminally responsible and punished.
If you feel threatened:
- Don’t keep it to yourself – tell your friends, relatives, or neighbors about your suspicions so that they can help if necessary.
- Agree with your neighbors that they will call the police when you give them a prearranged signal.
- Come up with a word or phrase that, when mentioned, for example, in a phone conversation with loved ones, indicates that you are in danger.
- warn your loved ones in such a way that the abuser does not understand the meaning of the words, even if they are nearby when you use the phrase.
If you know the abuser personally, you probably also know when he or she is likely to become aggressive, so trust your intuition – stop the threatening situation and do not allow it to continue:
- leave the place where you are (apartment, house);
- if possible, prepare a bag with the necessary items (cash, documents, clothes, car keys, etc.) in advance and put it in a safe place or give it to relatives, friends, or someone you trust completely.
If the abuser has ever lived with you but has now moved out, be sure to change the locks on your apartment.
If the perpetrator has come to your home and you are unable to leave, do the following:
- Go to the room where the phone is located to call for help.
- Call 112 or 110.
- Seek medical help if you have been injured.
- Go to the room closest to the front door so that you can escape if necessary.
- Avoid staying in the toilet, bathroom, kitchen, or other room that the abuser could use as a trap.
If the threat arises outside your home, when encountering the perpetrator, try to get to a place where there are other people as quickly as possible – they will be able to help, or the perpetrator will not dare to harm you in front of others.
Remember that you can always call the police. The police are required to record the incident in writing – this is an important document on the basis of which your abuser can later be punished by the court. It is proof to the court that you have indeed been abused.
Click here to see a list of institutions and organizations where you can seek help and advice.
Click here to learn more about reporting to the police.
Criminal offenses abroad
Latvian citizens who have been victims of a criminal offense abroad should:
- contact the local law enforcement authorities (police) immediately call the EU emergency number 112 (or the local equivalent) and report the incident, ask for protection and the opportunity to contact your country’s diplomatic and consular representation and/or the relevant authority;
- contact the Latvian diplomatic and consular representation in the country concerned (if any) / the Latvian honorary consul (if any) or the diplomatic and consular representation of another EU country in that country, if there is no Latvian representation in that country Latvian representation;
- call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department’s emergency hotline +371 26337711; e-mail: palidziba@mfa.gov.lv;
- contact the State Police in Latvia +371 67014002.
Latvian diplomatic and consular missions and/or the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
- provide advice on how to act in a specific emergency situation abroad;
- upon the victim’s verbal/written request, provides immediate assistance in communicating with the person’s relatives/friends;
- represents the rights and legitimate interests of Latvian passport holders in communication with local authorities if the person is unable to do so themselves;
- contacts relatives or friends in Latvia to consult and find a solution for transferring the necessary funds via international money transfer if the person has been left without means of subsistence abroad;
- issue a state loan to cover the costs of returning to Latvia if the traveler has no other means of obtaining financial resources. The loan must be repaid within a specified period;
- issue a return certificate to return to the country of residence if the person’s identity document has been lost or stolen.
Information on the support and assistance provided by the Foreign Service to Latvian citizens abroad is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
/Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs/