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10 years ago I finally left a controlling and abusive relationship for good and moved out.
Without the help of MK ACT I am not sure I would have been able to.
They helped me realise that it wasn't my fault, that I wasn't a bad person and that I made the right decision for me and my daughter.
I have been wanting to somehow at least try and repay them for that, but it took 10 years to finally feel confident enough to talk about my own experiences and to speak out about domestic abuse!
But even with the support from MK ACT I would have struggled with the situation a lot more had it not been for family, friends and my then manager.
Knowing that my job was safe, and that it wouldn't be held against me if I had to take time off work for court hearings, counselling and childcare problems, was a huge relief.
That is the reason why I want to raise more awareness of how work can help victims of domestic abuse by providing safe spaces and understanding how difficult it is to leave an abusive relationship. And that it doesn't end with leaving - it usually gets worse.
I want to climb Mount Snowdon to symbolise how daunting and difficult it is to leave an abuser: it is a long hard track and it doesn't end with leaving. Roughly 75% of women who are killed by their abuser are murdered after they left.
Victims have to fight harrowing court battles, bring up their children and build a new life whilst having to somehow rediscover their confidence, which will have been slowly eroded.
So just like when getting up to the summit and you realise you now have to get all the way back down! (At least that is how I imagine it must feel, I have never actually been up any mountain 🙂).
Without the help of MK ACT I am not sure I would have been able to.
They helped me realise that it wasn't my fault, that I wasn't a bad person and that I made the right decision for me and my daughter.
I have been wanting to somehow at least try and repay them for that, but it took 10 years to finally feel confident enough to talk about my own experiences and to speak out about domestic abuse!
But even with the support from MK ACT I would have struggled with the situation a lot more had it not been for family, friends and my then manager.
Knowing that my job was safe, and that it wouldn't be held against me if I had to take time off work for court hearings, counselling and childcare problems, was a huge relief.
That is the reason why I want to raise more awareness of how work can help victims of domestic abuse by providing safe spaces and understanding how difficult it is to leave an abusive relationship. And that it doesn't end with leaving - it usually gets worse.
I want to climb Mount Snowdon to symbolise how daunting and difficult it is to leave an abuser: it is a long hard track and it doesn't end with leaving. Roughly 75% of women who are killed by their abuser are murdered after they left.
Victims have to fight harrowing court battles, bring up their children and build a new life whilst having to somehow rediscover their confidence, which will have been slowly eroded.
So just like when getting up to the summit and you realise you now have to get all the way back down! (At least that is how I imagine it must feel, I have never actually been up any mountain 🙂).
