{"id":9922,"date":"2019-10-30T19:03:54","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T02:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btsadv.wpengine.com\/?p=9922"},"modified":"2022-09-05T09:51:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T16:51:30","slug":"domestic-violence-warriors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\/?p=9922","title":{"rendered":"Domestic Violence Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a>By Jenn Rockefeller<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I’m a warrior<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>Now I’ve got thicker skin<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>I’m a warrior<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>I’m stronger than I’ve ever been<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>And my armor, is made of steel, you can’t get in<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>I’m a warrior<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>And you can never hurt me again.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

~Warrior, Demi Lovato<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What is a warrior? Just from the lyrics above from Lovato\u2019s song, you can conclude that a warrior is someone who endured something traumatic and came out stronger on the other side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just because domestic violence survivors aren\u2019t on the front lines of the military doesn\u2019t mean they shouldn\u2019t get the warrior status. We absolutely do deserve the warrior status! It <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>a war that we go through–it\u2019s a psychological war that is waged against us at the hands of the abusers. This psychological war is not just during the abusive situation, it is also in the aftermath. Why? Because we, as survivors, are fighting a mental war within ourselves in order to regain our identity, our confidence, our spirit and our reality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think of it this way: we are warriors because we bravely fought to stay who we are. We are warriors because we were made to engage in warfare \u2013 warfare, in fact, that we never asked to be a part of. We are warriors because we were unknowingly forced into a conflict that sought to destroy us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We survived that which was meant to destroy us. We are survivors. We remained standing after the battle was over. We continued on despite the hardships and setbacks we faced. We realized that the warfare was unjust and we fought to uphold our beliefs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We may not have come out of our battles unscathed, but we came out of them. We fight to regain who we were before the battles began. We will find our way down the path of healing and recovery in our own way and in our own time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But now that we\u2019ve come out of this warfare, we might be asking ourselves: What now? Sometimes, we can help ourselves more than we can imagine by helping others. It\u2019s why so many survivors are now joining the fight against the world war against domestic violence. It\u2019s why we write blogs, book speaking engagements, work at local shelters, speak out on social media, and so much more. The more we speak up and speak out, the more awareness can be raised against this skewed image that society holds. That\u2019s what a warrior is \u2013 someone who not just fights for themselves, but fights for others, too, while living a life full of strength, honor, integrity, and peace.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how can you, as a survivor, join the fight?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are just several ways to get involved:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n