Creating a Brighter Future
Escaping domestic violence is harder than you think Escaping domestic violence sounds so easy to people who have not had to negotiate it, mused Sophie as she cleared up the kitchen sink after washing up the night-before dishes. She deliberated about whether to speak about the chapter that Bea had read the previous evening. Sophie … Read more
Strangulation attempt creates fear which is control Strangulation attempt. The question Sophie put to her ex at the court hearing got absolutely no response from behind the screen between him and her. The thought caused Sophie to cover her face as it intruded. Her typing could not keep up with a tsunami of information gushing … Read more
Why women don’t just leave Abusive Relationships? Why women don’t just leave partners who control them financially, socially, and generally coerce them or become violent towards them? People just don’t understand until they’ve been there themselves, Sophie thought as she packed her picnic things and the tablet computer into the paniers on Bea’s E-bike. A … Read more
Professional counsellors need training to identify, motivate and constructively support people to leave abusive relationships Professional counsellors were only just beginning to become alert to domestic violence at the time I left my home in 2008, Sophie thought as she walked back from the supermarket with her aunt Bea’s sturdy old shopping trolley, filled with … Read more
Isolation removes a person’s support network Isolation would have been a major factor for Alida’s difficulties in Canada because she was non-English speaking, Sophie thought as she joined Bea at the lunch table. ‘You have mentioned the difficulties Alida had in Canada. A lot of non-English-speaking people’s experience in Australia has led them to awful … Read more
Controlling behaviour is central to family and child abuse Controlling behaviour is overwhelming, Sophie thought as she struggled to open her eyes. She wished she could rouse her leaden body to defend herself against the flashback she’d experienced, of her opa briefly clamping his thumb and first two fingers on the back of her neck. … Read more
Letter Reveals Evidence of Opa’s Character Letter sure shows Opa’s probable treatment of Alida, Sophie mused as she tidied up after lunch, while Bea had a little afternoon nap. She remembered how Bea had said many times over the years that Alida had said she needed to work cleaning the shops below the family apartment … Read more
Money is the root of all evil in family inheritance disputes Money is the root of all evil. So true, unfortunately. Sophie thought as she waited, deeply appreciative that Bea had the capacity and willingness to translate the letter. I always have to laugh a lot when you write about your kids and your … Read more
Marriage counselling and DV depends on the following Marriage counselling and DV traditionally don’t work. But if it’s the difference between you not doing anything about the quality of yours and your children’s lives – then it’s the best thing you could ever do. What makes Marriage counselling and DV work? Both partners commitment to … Read more