The war in Syria has made all of us aware of a very large group of people who are living desperate lives as they flee their homes, everything they know and make arduous journeys to unfamiliar and overcrowded refugee camps. These refugees carrying with them the faint hope that some country will receive them and…
The Abbotsford Police have created a video on violence in young women’s lives. It rings true to me and highlights some important issues like cyberstalking. I would encourage you to watch it.
In 2015 it is very hard to cut off contact with an abusive ex. Facebook can be one of many links that keep you in touch with him. Even if you “unfriend” him, you may find his face popping up on other friends’ feed. Or you might hear about things he is doing through other…
A new study out of the UK followed over 1,000 mothers for 10 years. Among the findings: More than one-third reported suffering violence from their spouses. Those who suffered abuse were twice as likely to develop depression as women who were not experiencing abuse. The study cited is: “Intimate partner violence and new-onset depression” by…
Ann, not her real name, did our support group for women who have experienced abuse. She wanted to share part of her experience in the hope of helping other women. This is what she would like to share… So the time has come that you realize you are in abusive relationship. The counselling, talking, explaining…
VICTIM or SURVIVOR? These words hold power! We may toss these terms around without considering this. I have used them both many times referring to myself. For a long time I embraced the word “victim”. It helped me realize that what had happened was not my fault. I wore it like a badge of honor…
When I was living with my partner, I was on the maximum dosage of anti-anxiety medication that was allowable. A higher dosage would not have been safe for me. Still, I was anxious all the time. My partner saw this and said “clearly you are mentally ill”. And sometimes I thought he was right. But now that…
Shirley Parkinson was murdered by her husband of 27 years in Oct. 2014. Her family is speaking about her death in hopes of raising awareness. It has been brought to light that six women have been murdered by their male partners in the last year in Saskatchewan. I appreciated Piya Chatopadhyay’s coverage of this story…
In our support groups, stories are central. The group is a safe place for women to talk about what is happening or has happened in their lives. For many women, the group is the only place they can talk about these things. We see how, by getting to tell the stories of their lives, women…
Below is submitted by Lisa Stephan. She wanted to share some of what she (painfully!) learned in her marriage. Thank you Lisa for sharing some of your story! Welcome words splashed across my screen each evening as a new relationship formed with a Christian man in Arizona. Words I read hungrily as I learned…
In 2015 it is very hard to cut off contact with an abusive ex. Many women report that their ex-partners will continue to verbally and emotionally abuse them, after separation, using texts. They will send threatening texts or crazy-making texts, texts that will have them feeling sorry for their ex-partner or texts that will make them…
If you have separated from your partner, you are probably still sabotaged in your attempts to mother your children. Sometimes, painfully, women lose custody of their children to their abusive ex-partners. Some abusive men work hard – post separation – to alienate the children from their mom. These are some of the hardest and most…