Deserve to be heard

This artwork was created by children and young people as part of Women’s Aid research for the No Woman Turned Away Project report – Nowhere to turn for children and young people: documenting the journeys of children and young people into refuges. It focuses on their experiences whilst their family was searching for a safe […]

The poem reflects the devious entrapment which I was sucked into and my desperate attempts to build the courage to escape my captor and save my babies. I endured hell for nearly six years and went through trauma that to this day, still haunts me. We are survivors for this and with the right counselling

The poem Unique Suicide relates to how I was feeling towards the end of the relationship. I was isolated from everyone in my life and from the outside world. The abuse had escalated, my ex-perpetrator wanted to pimp me out. I realised that I was in danger, but I had no way of reaching out

As a survivor of Domestic Violence and Abuse I am further impacted by the fact that I am an African Caribbean woman of Colour who stands at nearly 6’1″ in heels. I mention this for there is little to no compassion for the likes of me, who fit the stereotype or preconception of a ‘Strong

This poem reflects the struggle of abuse I experienced and the fear it caused, I felt incredibly trapped. I felt isolated and I was living with daily physical and mental abuse. Speaking with women’s aid encouraged me to leave. Just before I left I felt God’s hand on my life- my heart felt full for

I am a survivor of nearly 30 years of domestic abuse – that has affected my physical and in particular mental health. The drip, drip nature of coercive control anesthetises you to what is going on. My abuse robbed me of my life. As an older woman I just want people to know why mentally

This poem, another day, relates to what life was like for me as a victim of domestic abuse. Days no longer existed, instead they became cycles, cycles of endless abuse. He took away everything I stood for and everything I believed in, including myself. Another Day Apparitions swirl out of the depths Tormented by nightmares

I didn’t realise I was in an abusive relationship. Having experienced domestic abuse as a very young child, I thought abuse was only physical. As a young adult, I vowed it would never happen to me again, but it did. I had a good job, my own house, my own car. I was very independent.

My own words – a thought-provoking powerful poem for those who ask “why did you not just leave?” Which I believe is the absolute worst thing you could ever say to a victim of domestic abuse and has a massive impact on the recovery process after. I had these very words spoken to me by

  The day I found my feet My life began the dayI found my trainersSky full of rain and greyIt became a no brainerIt was the start of my recoveryEven with you still at largeFighting against the anxietyYour attempts to sabotageA beach run my best discoveryThe wave lashing at my feetCollecting pebbles in a jarEvery