Archive for May, 2016

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our nineteenth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Paulissa Kipp from the USA.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first two Q&As in this interview may be distressing for some Domestic Violence survivors.

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The Survivor Bio:

Paulissa Kipp, CPSWS, is a certified Peer Support Provider with extensive lived experience in child sexual abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.  Through her advocacy, she educates community partners and dental/medical/nursing students about the affects of trauma and the importance of listening to survivors when they self-advocate. Paulissa facilitates healing art for trauma survivors through her company Paulissa Kipp’s Art of Becoming.

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

I was 23 years old and had been a victim of child physical and sexual abuse. I went from my mother’s house to playing house when I met a travelling musician – a man more than 20 years my senior.

He was charming and handsome and he promised to take care of me, which is just what a child of abuse wants – to be cared for. I quit my job, sold my car and followed him to another state. Shortly after we set up house together, the beating started: for not having dinner ready early enough, for having it ready too early, for showing cleavage, for getting a spot of paint on a window screen.

The phone was either on or off to serve his needs, the electricity and water were often off, and he would take off for days while I was home with no food. He intercepted my mail, isolated me from others and we lived 5 miles from the nearest neighbour.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

He came home drunk one night after spending 2 weeks in Oklahoma City “looking for work”. It was 3 am and he came in demanding dinner, which I refused to heat up for him. He hit me so hard he dislocated my jaw.

I barricaded myself in the bathroom and put a chest of drawers between myself and the door and pushed with all my might. He threw butcher knives at the door, missing my face by inches. When I thought he had passed out, I opened the door, only to be hit again. I ran into the basement and hid for what seemed like hours until I heard him snore.

I packed my legal documents and some personal effects and walked out the door but not until I held a shotgun to his temple and nearly pulled the trigger.

The knowledge that I could be pushed to the point of nearly committing murder is what made me leave. I walked out the door and he woke up and began shooting. I ran in the dark, sprained my ankle and walked 5 miles to the nearest house I could find. The owners took me to a women’s shelter where I spent the next 4 months before deciding to return to Nebraska and rebuild my life.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

I stayed with friends after returning to Nebraska, got a job and saved for a car. I sought out counselling, which helped me with recognising the red flags that were present. I began telling my story and realised that I was not alone in my experience.

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

You may wonder if you will ever feel safe again. Safety is many things. You will learn what safety, at its deepest level means to you both within and outside of yourself. Maybe safety for you means being able to freely express yourself:  to write, dance, speak, journal or make art. Maybe to listen to music that speaks to your soul.

You will learn to navigate the world in a different way and you will be the person who will see what others don’t. To ring the bell when something isn’t right. Because with survival comes wisdom.

You may think you are alone and you may doubt your worth and judgement.  You are not alone. So many of your sisters and brothers see and hear you and we are holding space for you. We have loving hands for you to hold onto and strong shoulders to help carry the pain. You will learn that your gut is your best compass and you can trust it.

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

It takes everyone. I believe that learning non-violent communication skills, teaching men and women about de-escalation techniques and self-defense is a start. Also, teaching that domestic violence has many forms beyond just the physical form goes a long way.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

The Pixel Project’s goal and mine is the same: To advocate, educate and inform about violence against women and its effects. The use of social media and technology as well as the international focus and the engagement of men in the cause ensures that the focus stays on education, empowerment and prevention of violence against women. We need every tool in our arsenal, and the resources provided by The Pixel Project are invaluable in doing this work.

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our eighteenth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Molly Taylor from the USA.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first two Q&As in this interview may be distressing for some Domestic Violence survivors.

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The Survivor Bio:

Molly is a writer at heart and has been able to use her journey recovering from an abusive marriage to help others through writing for the blog Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence. She has also been able to raise awareness for domestic violence support and education by enlisting Jason Alexander (of TV’s Seinfeld) to be a part of the Blow the Whistle Challenge for BTS. Her day job is as an executive assistant and being a single mother to an amazing daughter. Her passion for changing the conversation around domestic violence fuels her daily life. She enjoys photography, time outside and coffee dates.

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

My marriage was riddled with abuse. It began with mental, verbal, and emotional abuse during our dating life. I just thought we handled stress and anger differently.

When we got married, it moved into the realms of financial and spiritual abuse. He would talk at me for hours, forcing me to stay awake, sitting in the closet. I was not doing my “wifely duties” so it was not his fault he had to deal with me in this way.

Finally, when I was 8 months pregnant, things turned violent. He said it was “just bruises,” and it wasn’t a big deal because he never “hit me with a closed fist.” During the next months, there were 5 to 6 instances of abuse until the final week where there were three different nights of torture, culminating in a final night that was the worst physical violence I’d experienced at his hands.

I left with a bruise across my jaw, bruises up and down my legs, across my buttocks, a 3 inch one on my hip, distinctive knuckle bruises on my rib cage and finger print bruises on both arms. Those on my arms lasted for over 2 weeks.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

That last night, he was so intensely out of control that he put the baby down to slap me across the face and she fell off the bed. That was my wake-up call. We had to get out.

I had only slept for 3 hours the night before and slept for 45 minutes that night. I was a zombie. He would not allow me to sleep, and it was catching up to me emotionally and physically. I was in a fog of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and barely functional apart from taking care of my baby.

I had a flight booked, a trip to see my best girlfriends. I had packed for 9 days in a carry-on bag for myself and the baby, and I never went back. My friends saw the bruises and flew into action mode – making plans for us and helping me get into counseling right away. They saved us when I couldn’t save myself. And I was across the country which finally made me feel protected.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

Counselling, counselling, counselling. I can’t emphasise this enough.

I had to quiet his voice in my head before I could move forward. No contact was key to this step. As long as he was sending me hourly emails, 300 texts a day or calling 10 times in a row, there was no chance for me to heal. When I could legally block him, I felt a tremendous weight fall from my shoulders and true healing began.

A support group was crucial for me too. You are able to connect to others and talk through your abuse in a way that helps you see the light on the other side. Abuse thrives in silence, so taking back that power by telling your story is an amazing step when you are finally able to remove yourself from a violent situation.

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

Tell someone you trust. If you don’t know how to leave, maybe they will. Call a shelter. Be careful and protect yourself as much as you can while still sharing space with an abuser. Keep passwords hidden. Make a list of what you need when you leave. I did not have any important documents and had to leave my dogs behind which broke my heart.

Many shelters now have plans in place to take in pets, so look into that if this is a concern for you. There are resources.

Also, keep records if you can so that if you have to go to court you have documentation. That helped me significantly in getting full custody of my child. Save texts. Take pictures of bruises. Write down dates if you can but keep everything hidden so that you can stay safe until you’re able to leave.

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

Education and resources are key elements of ending violence in our society against women and children. We absolutely have to talk. It is difficult and painful to discuss at times, but it is extremely necessary. Pride and ego have to take a backseat so that we can own our stories and help others. Violence can, and does happen to people of all demographics and backgrounds.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

I have found a passion inside myself for domestic violence victims because of my experience.

I believe in organisations such as The Pixel Project because our visions are in alignment. The goal of The Pixel Project is to raise awareness and help to end violence against women. The push towards conversation and involving men in making positive changes in this area is a goal that I fully get behind. I feel like the strongest version of myself on the other side of abuse and want to assure others that there is an incredible opportunity to thrive on the other side.

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our sixteenth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Lisa Murray from the USA.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first two Q&As in this interview may be distressing for some Domestic Violence survivors.

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The Survivor Bio:

Lisa Murray has spoken at various GreenHouse17 events with the encouragement of her advocate, Darlene Thomas; and also in the classroom of University of Kentucky, Policy Studies on Violence Against Women, by invitation of Carol Jordan, the Executive Director.  In 2014, Carol featured Lisa in her book Violence Against Women in Kentucky:  A History of US and State Legislation Reform.  Lisa works full time for Alltech, Inc. a leading global biotechnology company.  She credits much of her healing process to the understanding and encouragement of her employer. She is an avid equestrian who has owned multiple World Champion horses.  She has spent her life enjoying competing with her various breeds of horses.  

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

Just imagine, you are in your home, a place of sanctuary. Within a split second, you are tackled to a hardwood floor, completely pinned down. You can’t move your hands or legs; a man’s knees are pressing so deeply into your hands that you feel as though your bones are breaking.  His breath is hot and angry, spewing vulgarity.  Yet this is no stranger – this is your husband, the man who pledged his lifelong love – and he is bashing your head into a hardwood floor over and over, choking you, beating you in the face. That is what happened to me on the night of September 20, 2011.

Although I had suffered previous assaults, both physical and verbal, this final attack, which put me in the hospital, was to be his final act of vengeance towards me.  As I lay in the hospital room, fearing for my life, I knew that I could not go back.  I could not be “this” woman.  I had a grown daughter and two granddaughters who look up to me, and whom I have to set an example for.  I threw my wedding ring into a hospital trash can, then obtained an EPO (emergency protective order) and filed for divorce.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

I escaped only after the brutal assault in which I feared for my life.  For years I had suffered mental, emotional, verbal and “some” physical violence.  I felt as though I was living in a maze.  I was so embarrassed and didn’t even tell my own family for days that I was in the hospital.  However, finally, after confronting the reality, I had 110% family support.  It did take a while for me to find Domestic Violence resources, but after finding Greenhouse17.org, I was able to stand tall, go through a relentless court battle, and see my attacker sentenced to jail, then onto federal prison.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

I will be very blunt: this process was extremely difficult, and that is the one thing that drove me to finding answers.  It was so hard, and because it was so hard for me to find answers, I dug in and continued to persevere. Information in the State of Kentucky was so contradictory that I felt I could lose my mind. One attorney said to me “Lisa, don’t stop asking the questions.  You may not get the answer you want to hear, but keep asking!” I started searching for more and more information, and began seeing a counsellor.  Piece by piece, I was able to reassemble my life and today I am proud of how I was able to come out on the other side.

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

I have had many women open up to me as my story went very public.  I was a bit afraid at first, but I am not ashamed of what happened to me.  It’s something that happened, it does not define who I am or lessen me as a person.  I was a woman, who loved her husband, and tried to make her marriage work.

My first comment to women is to seek out an advocate.  If you’re asking me, then you must be questioning something.

I constantly share information and books that were helpful to me.  I have bought extra editions of Lundy Bancroft’s book, Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, and have shared with women who I know are struggling and looking for answers. I also talk about having a safety plan,  just in case.

Lastly, I listen.  Sometimes a woman just needs to know she is being heard and that someone understands.  It’s important to never minimise, but truly listen.

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

I think ending violence has to start in the home.  I have now learned from my ex-husband’s family that he was extremely abusive to others in his family when he was a child and teenager.  I believe that this behaviour begins at an early age. So you have two sides, the aggressor and the victim.  I talk candidly to my granddaughters now, even at a young age.  For example, if a boy hits you or speaks hatefully to you, it’s not because he likes you.  It’s because he’s a bully, plain and simple.

When they are old enough to begin to date, the conversation and education will increase from both my son-in-law and daughter, and me.  It will be a joint parental effort.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

The Pixel Project is an amazing outreach organisation.  The thing I like best about this organisation is that it addresses the fact that there are no cultural or social barriers when it comes to Domestic Violence and other forms of violence against women.  Victims need to realise this can – AND DOES – happen in all walks of life.  Education, education, education.  Sharing stories, sharing hope.  Sharing an open door to a better life.

As the momentum on this topic is gaining attention, The Pixel Project has made ending violence against women and girls their top priority.  The time for complacency is gone.  It is now time for stronger action and improving the knowledge base for ending violence against women.  The Pixel Project gives a voice to survivors and stands on the belief that women have the right to live free from violence; and they generate this conversation by tearing down taboos and creating safe online spaces to generate discussions, while getting the global community emotionally engaged and actively involved.

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our fifteenth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Leslie Ann Epperson from the USA.

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The Survivor Bio:

Leslie Ann Epperson is an Emmy Award winning director and creator of Many Bones, One Heart, an independent documentary feature. She began her documentary career at WILL-TV, PBS, producing documentary programs for distribution to nationwide PBS affiliates. Epperson went on to direct a nationally distributed science magazine series for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. PBS affiliate KUAT TV, PBS, engaged her to produce segments for Arizona Illustrated, a nightly news magazine, and to produce In the Field of Time, which was distributed to PBS affiliates, and Divine Mission: San Xavier del Bac, about the restoration of a 300-year-old church, which received five Rocky Mountain Region Emmy Awards and was broadcast by the PBS network. Epperson’s films reside in library collections throughout the United States.

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

I was frequently physically punished by my father after my mother died when I was 12. I hooked up with a man similar to my father when I was 18 and we later married.

My husband was an alcoholic, and when drinking, he hit me a few times, but the primary form of abuse was verbal and emotional. He stopped the physical abuse after sobering up, but he continued to sabotage my self-worth, and demanded that I support him financially while continuing to be emotionally cruel.

I found solace in work and making art, and kept myself very busy.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

I was in a car accident while my then husband was in school studying veterinary medicine. He began stealing the pain medications I was prescribed for injuries. I caught him and began locking my medicine in a safe. Shortly thereafter, he began stealing pain medication from the teaching hospital where he was enrolled. I caught him shooting up narcotics twice. Combined with his growing surliness and the emergence of ever greater cruelty gave me reason to leave for good, after 27 long years.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

I was physically injured by the car accident and emotionally shattered. I made art to express my feelings, and for several years I just took it a day at a time. I sought out counselling and after being informed by my ex’s psychiatrist that my ex had a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, I researched the hallmarks of that disease. Understanding that he was sick helped me.

At first I had struggled hard to understand how he could treat me the way he did and I felt in some ways that it was my own fault. When I realised I would never understand it—that I am not like him – I began to find some peace. I am now helping a friend who has had a similar married experience to be okay with leaving and taking care of herself.

My friends and family are helpful to me as well because they do not yell at me, or try to hurt me or twist my words and way of being to suit their needs. I know that is how it should be, and if I have to be without a spouse or lover to stay safe and sane, well, that is okay!

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

I suggest counselling, being with friends, letting the tears fall when they need to. And if asked, I freely share that I had to leave, and that I am forever grateful to my counsellor and his psychiatrist for helping me understand that he was never going to change.

I talk to my friend who is separating from her abusive partner quite a bit, and I reassure her that she can get through this, that she will find a new sense of herself with time and with the willingness to be open to her feelings and learn from what has happened. I find that letting her just talk without trying to fix her does wonders.

So I guess my suggestion is keep your good friends close, let them help you. I tell my friend that although I am sometimes lonely, I am not frightened or hurt or confused anymore. I can handle a little loneliness, and I think most of that loneliness comes from comparing myself to the image of the “ideal woman” which is a married woman with a family, money, etc. That is not my fate but my life is beautiful if I pay attention to today.

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

There is much that has to change. Women have been hurt because men are physically stronger and can get away with it, which is terrible and must stop. It must be stopped wherever it is seen. Women need much greater protection and care from police and laws.

Education is key. We must teach our children to respect all of life, human and otherwise, and learn to care for ourselves, each other, and our world in equal measure. It is a spiritual journey, and I think humanity is on the right path, even though it often seems too slow. Much has changed in my lifetime—and much remains to be transformed. We must teach children that love really is the answer, and that violence never works. Violence only begets more of the same.

Education, compassion, and service are necessary. Gentleness and humility should be something we all try to cultivate in ourselves. The false gods of money, fame, control and domination just lead to more cruelty, more lost lives, more wars against each other, more grief, and more lost potential.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

The Pixel Project’s anti-Violence Against Women campaigns combine the power of social media and the internet with pop culture and the arts to raise awareness and educate people worldwide about violence against women. As an artist and filmmaker, I believe that literature, films and art provide the cultural bridges needed for us to be better to each other. Art helps us cultivate tolerance and kindness, for when we empathise with a character in a film or book, we are open to learning something new about a different person with a life experience unlike our own.

With empathy and compassion, we develop greater tolerance, greater willingness to share our world and our selves with one another. Art is the best path to peace that I know of. I have been a journalist, too, and pointed out injustice in my work, but I find that for me, confrontation with problems is painful—but creating stories that bring people to a richer understanding of the “other” gives me peace and even joy. I seek to inspire the best in a viewer, for I believe inspiration moves us to a higher ground of being.

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our thirteenth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Julie Martin from the USA.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first two Q&As in this interview may be distressing for some Domestic Violence survivors.

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The Survivor Bio:

I am an appointed Commissioner on the San Diego County Behavioral Health Board and I chair the first Women’s Behavioral Health Advocacy Committee for San Diego County. I also represent the BHB on the Children, Youth, and Family System of Care Council, San Diego.  I own my own social media and website Design Company. Outside work, I am a mom, artist, pianist, and a competitive amateur golfer with aspirations of becoming professional golfer. I am also the Director of a Girls Golf Programme in San Diego County where I work with girls ages 6-17 and, through the game of golf, teach them confidence, how to engage socially, teamwork, and leadership skills.

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

I survived childhood abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence: physical, emotional, psychological, and financial. I was held hostage and terrorised for 6 years by my former husband.

It took me years to recover from the damage that his abuse did to me. The psychological abuse was horrible and was what kept me a prisoner for so long. I was told by him that I wouldn’t survive out in the world alone and that no one would love me the way he loved me.

The breaking point was when he physically assaulted me in front of our 2-year-old daughter, Mina. That was when I finally got the courage to leave. I felt she deserved a better life and if it wasn’t for her I am not sure that I would have left.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

When Mina and I returned home one afternoon, he was acting like he was on drugs. He wouldn’t talk to me, acted as if I wasn’t there, and walked through me, knocking me over.  When he grabbed his car keys, I asked him where was he going and he told me I was on a “need-to-know basis.”

When he came home that evening, he took away my cellphone. He said since he paid the bill, it was his and I had the privilege of using it.  When he went into the bathroom, I tried to grab my phone. He slammed the door on my arm several times, then locked himself in.

I used the home phone to call the police and tried to pack in order to leave.  He came round the corner of the closet and the look on his face… if he had a gun he would have shot me in the head.  He grabbed the phone from me, pushed me down, and threw my cellphone at me.  He told the police that everything was fine.

The police showed up to the house and, after questioning both of us, finally arrested him. I knew I had 30 days before he returned home.  The next day I filed for a temporary restraining order and a divorce.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

Mina and I left with nothing. I think I had $100 in my wallet and I never received child or spousal support. I sold all of my jewellery and was able to get a one-bedroom apartment.I packed up our essentials and my office and we moved in.  I replaced everything else – I didn’t want a single memory of him in our new space.  I wanted to feel safe and create new memories and a new life.

The most important thing I did was to create a solid stable foundation for Mina. I kept her life as normal as possible.  I put her in ballet class and summer camp and made sure that I didn’t do any divorce work while she was awake.

My life is completely different and amazing today:  I am remarried to the most amazing man in the world and I am able to work through the moments that are very difficult for me because I am surrounded by love and support. I have learnt to let things go and to keep moving forward. I have learnt to take time for myself and to take care of myself. Each day I get a little stronger. I use the past to thrive in my future: tragedy doesn’t mean you have to give up on life. I also share my story with the community to break the silence.

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

• Never go back. Once you leave no matter what, never go back. You will heal and find yourself again. It will take time but it will get better.
• Learn to take time for yourself.  Self-care is so important.  Sleep when you need to, eat healthy, get into therapy, and take walks. Learn to love yourself and embrace the new you.
• Ask for help.  This was very difficult for me but when I would ask for help, I got it, and if someone couldn’t help me they would point me in the right direction. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP.
• Learn to trust your gut.  The more you use this tool, the stronger it gets.  I make my decisions today fully based on my gut feeling and I have never been let down. Trust the process.
• If you need to get a divorce, interview attorneys.  Don’t go with the first one recommended or that you pick out of the phone book.
• Make art.  One of the most healing things I ever did not only for myself but for my little one was paint.  Painting or any other type of art is very healing and peaceful.

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

We can end violence against women through education, knowledge, and public awareness campaigns.

Awareness and legislation also needs to be made regarding psychological and financial abuse. The public and family court system needs to be educated about this: physical abuse is terrible but the problem with psychological abuse is that while there are no bruises, it can be more scarring. I had a hard time getting help because I didn’t have a black eye – I couldn’t even get a permanent restraining order!

There also has to be resources available in communities for those who need it when they need it. These resources have to provide help and not fail the victim. This is really bad because the victim feels victimised all over again.  This was something that I constantly struggled with.  I couldn’t find resources or navigate the system very well and when I reached out to some of the available resources, they failed me.  I am trying to make sure this doesn’t happen to another woman by making this problem known in my county so that the proper support system can be put into place so that victims can leave successfully.  Knowing you can leave, feeling safe and having the proper resources are essential for surviving.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

I support The Pixel Project because it is important to raise awareness and funding for violence against women.  I like how this organisation creates opportunities for those who are passionate for helping to make the world a better place for women and girls.

I also like how The Pixel Project uses social media and technology as a platform to get their message out worldwide. In my eyes, this is one of the few ways in this day in age to be able to reach as many people as possible. Awareness, Education, and Support is what The Pixel Project is all about, and that is why I choose to support it.

The Pixel Project is proud to present our third annual Survivor Stories Blog Interview Project in honour of Mother’s Day 2016. The annual campaign runs throughout the month of May 2016 and features an interview per day with a survivor of any form of violence against women (VAW) including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced/child marriage, sex trafficking, breast ironing etc. A total of 31 VAW survivor stories will be featured. This campaign was created to provide:

• VAW survivors a platform to share their stories and solutions/ideas on how they rebuilt their lives and healed/are healing.
• Girls and women currently experiencing or who have survived VAW ideas, hope, and inspiration to escape the violence and know that there is light at the tunnel and there is help out there.

Our twelfth 2016 Survivor Stories interview is with Therese D’Encarnacao from the USA.

TRIGGER WARNING: The first two Q&As in this interview may be distressing for some Domestic Violence survivors.

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The Survivor Bio:

Therese D’Encarnacao feels blessed to even be alive. In 2010, she survived criminal domestic violence. Her then husband of twelve years attempted to shoot her right between her eyes in an attempted murder/suicide. Although she still suffers from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the bullet remains in her brain, she continues to donate her time and energies to domestic violence awareness. Between her grandchild and her new husband and his children, she is happily and busily enjoying life.

1. What is your personal experience with gender-based violence?

I am a survivor of criminal domestic violence. My late husband pointed a gun at my head and the last words he said to me were, “If I can’t have you, nobody can!” Then he pulled the trigger and my head exploded.

I was told he then walked barely five feet from my body and took his own life right in front of his brother.

2. How did you escape the violent situation/relationship/ritual?

Only by the grace of God. Right after his suicide, his brother called 911. However, they checked me and couldn’t find a pulse. They thought I was dead and were waiting for the coroner.

It was only after I woke up face down on the bathroom floor and was finally able to ask for help that they came and loaded me onto a stretcher and then into the ambulance to take me to the trauma centre.

3. How did you heal and rebuild your life after the violent situation/relationship/ritual? What actions did you take?

I got help from family and friends, but help came mainly from counselling, doctors, advocates and other survivors. I journaled daily and read everything I could get my hands on to learn about domestic violence and violence against women. Knowledge is both powerful and empowering!

I went to groups specifically for victims of domestic violence and eventually I began to get involved with the Attorney General’s Office for our state, more specifically the Violence Against Women section and also volunteered in other arenas, shelters, prisons and victim’s rights groups.

4. What would you suggest to or share with another woman or girl facing the same situation as you did?

Don’t ask yourself if you love him. Ask yourself, do you trust him?  A relationship without trust is like a car without fuel – you can stay in it all you want, but it won’t go anywhere. If the answer is no, then get out and stay out!

5. How do you think we can end violence against women?

Knowledge is both powerful and empowering, to both men and women. Increase awareness, especially in our young boys and girls. Love is respect. Teach them to respect both themselves and others.

6. Why do you support The Pixel Project?

Because only by increasing awareness can we make the changes necessary to bring about changes in our society and help our world. I believe The Pixel Project is bringing light to a very dark area and it is extremely important!