Survivor Story: Her Abuser Emotionally Manipulated Her to Get Her to Come Back
Submitted by: *Becky, Survivor On average, it takes seven times for a victim to successfully leave an abuser. Many things contribute to someone returning to their abuser, including financial dependence upon the abuser, desire to preserve their family, children, and fear. Survivor Becky shares with us how her abuser’s manipulation of her emotions and his […]
Survivor Story: Her Voice Was Heard in Court
Submitted by: Melissa, Survivor Leaving an abuser is terrifying and dangerous enough as it is. Having to face our abusers in court not only increases the risk of retaliation against the victim disclosing the abuse, it can also retraumatize them in the process. There is no guarantee that justice will be served, and for many […]
Survivor Story: Her Abuser Threatened to Mutilate and Kill Her if She Left
Submitted by: *Jenny, Survivor Leaving an abuser is not a simple case of just walking away, and it is not always immediate. It is not uncommon for a victim to wait years before leaving or go through a process of several attempts before they can permanently break free from the abuser. Regardless of how long […]
Survivor Story: I Know Why Women Stay
Written by: Brandon, friend of a survivor Victims of domestic violence face many barriers to leaving their abusers, including financial controls, manipulation, coercion, intimidation, isolation, physical punishment, and conditioning resulting from verbal and emotional abuse. Brandon, who has experiences with verbal, emotional, and mental abuse in his own life, shares a painfully profound story of […]
Survivor Story: She Endured Abuse as an Immigrant
Submitted by: *Isabel, Survivor Victims and survivors of domestic violence face a long list of challenges and barriers when reporting abuse to authorities. Particularly vulnerable are immigrants who may face language and cultural barriers, threats of having their children removed from the home, and risk of being reported to immigration authorities in addition to financial […]
Survivor Story: She Hoped the Abuse Would End Once She Had His Child
Submitted by: Jamie, Survivor For many victims of intimate partner violence, abuse can begin or escalate once they learn they are pregnant with their abuser’s child. This puts both the mother and unborn child at risk for serious injury. Others may see the onset of abuse once the child is born, with the abuser blaming […]
