None of us
should be abused. None of us.
We are not slaves. None
of us deserve to be owned and treated
as a possession. None of us.
Unfortunately, many of us are being abused. Many of us are treated as
slaves, many of us are owned and are treated as possessions.
The obvious question is: "What can we do about it ?"
Well, first of all
we do not need to accept it. The good news is that we are not alone. We are not isolated.
Wherever we happen to be, there are agencies and individuals who are there
and waiting to help us in time of our greatest need.
Being
abused or being trapped in an abusive relationship certainly puts us in definite need of the help of these people.
So we must try not to forget that they really are there for us - they are waiting to hear from us.
We
do not have to contact them today (if we don't want to) but it is good to know that there IS someone out there who is
on our side.
Whatever
happens it is important that we...
-
Do
not pretend that nothing has happened or nothing is happening
-
Do
not simply rub our wounds and say nothing.
-
Do
not just swallow our hurt, bottle up our feelings and suffer in silence
-
Accept
that what we are going through is wrong and will not simply go away.
-
Accept
that something needs to be done and WE need to do it.
-
Accept
that the first step in ending what we are going through is to tell someone about it.
-
Recognise
that whatever is happening to us is not our fault and we are not to blame for it.
-
It
is NOT our fault that someone else is abusing us.
-
TELL
SOMEONE ABOUT IT.
Unfortunately,
the harsh truth is that around the world there really are countless others of us who are going through (or have gone through)
what you are going through. Whilst some have survived and have moved on to live a "normal" (non-abusive) life - far too
many have not. Having said that...
Millions worldwide HAVE survived, and so can you.
No
one knows how many millions of us have escaped from abuse. How many millions have ensured that it will never happen
again. How many millions have moved on and now lead happy (or happier) lives; and (here comes the point) so can you.
Some
of these individuals who have escaped and have rebuilt their lives now operate help-lines etc. These help-lines are dedicated
to helping others to move on and build new lives for themselves - and their children. These people await your call.
It
really does go without saying but the first (most important) step to take is to tell someone
about what has happened or what is happening.
Help-lines
exist for this very purpose.
However,
for your own security please do not use your home phone, and if you use your mobile, please erase the record. Cover your tracks.
Be careful and stay safe.
Apart
from help-lines, there really is a lot of help available nowadays. Online Communities and local support groups spring
to mind.
The
Internet is a great source of information and support. Please use it.
A couple of words of warning. If calling an helpline be warned that your call might
appear on an itemised telephone bill. Protect yourself and use a public telephone.
Similarly, it would be safer not to use a home-based
computer anywhere near an abuser. One could try cyber cafes and publc
libraries etc.
