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: I Lived with Abuse for Eight Years and Thought of It As Normal
Written by: BTSADV Survivor This past August marked my second anniversary away from my abuser. The photo on the left shows me sitting on a pile of clothes in a trashed apartment on the very last day I had ever spoken to my abuser. On the right, I stand two years later. I cannot believe […]
Survivor Story: My Abuser Absconded with My Daughter and Threatened to Keep Her Unless I Dropped Charges
Written by: BTSADV Survivor I met my husband while I was still an undergraduate in college studying sociology. He was my professor, 20 years my senior, and a tenured faculty member in the Psychology Department. When I realized he was hitting on me, I remember being simply awed by the fact that a professor would […]
Survivor Story: My Abuser Isolated Me and Ruined Relationships with My Friends
Written by: BTSADV Survivor I was in an emotionally, verbally, physically, and mentally abusive relationship for about four to five years. We met while we were both away at college. At first, while I was there, I was happy and having the time of my life with my roommates. However, both of my roommates were […]
Survivor Story: I Carefully Planned My Escape from My Abusive Ex-husband
Written by: BTSADV Survivor As a 23-year-old single mother of two children, I was dating a guy whose birthday was a few days after mine. We began to have our parties together, and the third year we got crazy and decided to get married. I don’t know what I was thinking other than I really […]
Survivor Story: My Abuser Controlled Every Aspect of My Life
Written by: Samantha, Survivor I grew up in a household of strong women, my mother being the leader of the pack and my two sisters and me in tow. “Never depend on a man” was the mantra repeated to us over and over again. We were never expected to be subservient to men. Having grown […]