Resources Safety and your rights
If you are in danger right now
Who to call after an attack, threats, violence at home or when you are in deep distress, and what to say first.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Start here
- If you or someone near you is in danger, call 911, say “Russian” and stay on the line until an interpreter joins.
- If the danger comes from a partner or relative, write to the City HOPE line chat in Russian: on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat. You can also call, 24/7: 1-800-621-4673; say “Russian” and ask for an interpreter.
- If you feel very bad or have thoughts of suicide, call or text 988: free, 24/7, with an interpreter: say “Russian”.
Free numbers for urgent help in New York
| What it is for | How to reach it and in which language | |
|---|---|---|
| 911 | Danger to life, an attack, a fire, you need an ambulance | Phone; say your language and an interpreter joins the call |
| 311 | Questions to City services, complaints, help when it is not urgent | Online at portal.311.nyc.gov or by phone: say “Russian” and an interpreter joins |
| 988 | Feeling very low, thoughts of suicide | Phone, text or chat (NYC 988); on a call, say “Russian” and an interpreter joins |
| 1-800-621-4673 | Violence in a couple or family, any crime, sexual violence | Chat in Russian (on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat) or a call: say “Russian”; interpreters in 25+ languages |
| 800-942-6906 | Domestic and sexual violence (New York State hotline) | Phone: say “Russian”, support in most languages; or text 844-997-2121 |
| 800-799-7233 | Violence in a couple (national hotline) | Phone: say “Russian”, support in over 200 languages; chat at thehotline.org or text START to 88788 |
| 212-714-1141 | Attack, harassment or partner violence against LGBTQ+ people and people with HIV (Anti-Violence Project) | The line is in English and Spanish: Mon–Thu 10 am–6 pm, Fri 10 am–2 pm Eastern time; at other times leave a message and they call back within two business days. For Russian, first write to the HOPE chat: on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat |
| 1-866-488-7386 | LGBTQ+ people under 25 in crisis (The Trevor Project) | The line is in English: call, text START to 678-678, or chat. For Russian, call 988 and say “Russian” |
| 1-888-373-7888 | Human trafficking (National Human Trafficking Hotline) | Phone: say “Russian”, interpreters in 200+ languages; or text 233733, 24 hours a day and confidential |
Say your language
As soon as the operator answers, say “Russian” and wait for the interpreter.
Say where you are
Give the address or the nearest cross streets, then say briefly what happened, whether there is a weapon, whether anyone is hurt and where the person threatening you is now.
Stay on the line
Stay on the line until the operator says you can hang up.
Ask for an interpreter when they arrive
Tell the police who arrive “I need an interpreter”: the NYPD has interpreters, including by phone.
You may stay silent about status
Police don't ask victims, witnesses or people seeking help about immigration status. If you are asked anyway, you have the right not to answer about your country of birth, status or how you entered the US.
Choose chat or text
The City HOPE line chat: on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat, Russian available. Text: the State line at 844-997-2121, the national line by texting START to 88788.
Use another device
If the abuser monitors your phone, text or call from a friend's phone or a device the abuser can't access.
Do not remove spyware at once
Removing stalkerware can alert the abuser and raise the danger. First make a safety plan with a hotline counselor, then check the phone.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing
Write to the City HOPE line chat in Russian: on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat, or text the State line: 844-997-2121. For deaf and hard-of-hearing people: HOPE TTY 1-866-604-5350, national hotline videophone 855-812-1001.
The police arrive
The NYPD answers 911, and police will come. If there is no threat to life and you want advice first, contact the HOPE Hotline (chat in Russian available).
Talk to a victim advocate
Every NYPD precinct has Safe Horizon advocates from the City's Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP). They help you find support; no police report needed.
Go to a Family Justice Center
Family Justice Centers are City centers for survivors of violence in all five boroughs. Open weekdays 9 am to 5 pm, walk-in, free and confidential, whatever your status.
If it was about hatred or discrimination
For where to report attacks or threats over sexual orientation, gender identity, origin or religion, see “Attacks and threats because of hatred”.
If immigration officers worry you
ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is the federal immigration agency. For what to do, see “If ICE comes to you”.
911
Any status
Threat to life, an attack, fire, a medical emergency. Say “Russian” and an interpreter joins; the NYPD responds. Under a 2026 New York State law, local police may not make formal or informal agreements with ICE to act as immigration agents; cooperation with federal agencies in criminal cases continues.
311
Any status
The City's information line: City services and complaints; for non-urgent matters it connects you to the NYC Domestic Violence Hotline or your NYPD precinct. You can also report a problem or look up information online: portal.311.nyc.gov. On the phone, say “Russian” and an interpreter joins. In an emergency, 911.
NYC 988
Any statusFree
The City's mental health line: call, text or chat if you feel very bad or have thoughts of suicide. Free and confidential; no questions about status. Counselors speak English, Spanish and Chinese, with interpreters for other languages: say “Russian”.
NYC HOPE Hotline (Safe Horizon)
Any statusFree
For survivors of intimate partner or family violence, crime or sexual violence: safety planning, shelter, other services. The chat at on.nyc.gov/hotlinechat is available in Russian. On the phone, say “Russian”: interpreters in 25+ languages. TTY 1-866-604-5350.
The Trevor Project
Under 25
24/7 support for LGBTQ+ people under 25 in crisis: call, text START to 678-678, or chat. The line is in English; for Russian, call 988 and say “Russian”. TTY 1-866-803-3699.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Any status
A confidential national hotline on human trafficking: call or text 233733. On the phone, say “Russian”: interpreters in 200+ languages.
- NYPD
- New York City Police Department, the City police of New York. It is a City agency, not a federal one.
- 311
- The City information line of New York for questions and complaints that are not urgent; interpreters in 175+ languages.
- 988
- The number for mental health help when you feel very low or have thoughts of suicide; in New York it is answered by the City line NYC 988.
- Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP)
- A City program for crime victims: advocates work in NYPD precincts, and no police report is needed to contact them.
- TTY
- A text telephone for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech difficulties.