“I moved here from Kenya with my husband. He became very...

“I moved here from Kenya with my husband. He became very abusive when we arrived. He made sure I didn’t have any friends. If anyone came to visit me, he’d immediately say: ‘I don’t like them.’ I was scared all the time. When my mother came to visit from Africa, she could tell something was going on. A mother can always tell. She saw how he spoke to me. When she left for the airport, she seemed so worried about me. It broke my heart. So the next time he hit me, I called the police. And I’ve never looked back. I have a great new boyfriend now. The kids are happy. I’ve got a job and I’m back in school. Things are really perfect. But I beat myself up a lot. I think: ‘If I’d only left earlier, I’d have been here so long ago.’ But I did leave. I’m here now. And that’s the important thing. Sometimes I need to remember to pat myself on the back.”

(Melbourne, Australia)