A text from our daughter, “I need help” followed by “he’s threatening to come here and kill me – or himself” is one of the most chilling things parents can receive from a strong independent daughter.
There began an unravelling of what had been a positive time in our daughter’s life, settling into a new job after university, away from home. The girl who arrived back home was a shell of herself. She couldn’t sleep alone due to the nightmares. She needed support to get her health and well-being back. It was heartbreaking to witness, and horrific to hear the stories of what she had been through as she started to unpack what had gone so wrong.
Our first call – Women’s Refuge. What on earth do we do? Thanks to their unwavering support, counsel and learning opportunities, the girl who left home months later to go back to her job was once again strong and armed with the necessary tools and knowledge on how to protect herself and begin to flourish.
Although we have a strong network of local family support, our family will forever be grateful to the work these incredible women at Women’s Refuge do. No matter what time of day or night, in any crisis, and during the aftermath, they are there. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. Women’s Refuge attends to incidents of family violence across all parts of our Southland community. The scourge of domestic violence in our communities is eye opening, and heartbreaking.
