I have been dreading this post because I have a friend who went through it with her father and it was really hard to see. She would call me sometimes crying because she needed to get out of the house and would ask if she could come over to get away from it. She would come over and just want to cry. So cry she did and I would be there right with her, holding her just letting her cry. I would tell her that she needs to turn him in but she never would. She was afraid that if she did, her mom would be mad.
PEOPLE!
Please listen to me! If you are being physically abused and you are seriously scared for your life, don't let other people stop you from securing your safety. Even if it's your parents.
There is never EVER an excuse for someone to put their hands on another unless they are trying to defend themselves.
Physical abuse can happen to anyone. Babies, Children, Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and even Elderly people.
And it is never too late to get help. Physical abuse is a very unfortunate thing and it can be prevented!
Some examples of physical abuse are:
- Scratching, punching, biting, strangling or kicking.
- Throwing something at you such as a phone, book, shoe or plate.
- Pulling your hair.
- Pushing or pulling you.
- Grabbing your clothing.
- Using a gun, knife, box cutter, bat, mace or other weapon.
- Smacking your bottom.
- Grabbing your face to make you look at them.
- Grabbing you to prevent you from leaving or to force you to go somewhere.
I'm sure you have all heard of this book. And if you haven't here's a summary:
"This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son."
It's a really sad story but it was one that I could, in some way, relate to. It's a true story and the author is the one who was the victim.
My sophomore year, it was a required reading and when we were all done, we were to write a letter to any author that we had read that semester. After the letters were written, my teacher, Ms. Pepper, sent the letters to a contest and we all awaited to see how our letters did. I got a semi-finalist award and was able to meet him among some other people in Olympia at the state library.
Anyways, all that is beside the point.
Dave Pelzer has an amazing story but not all of us are able to overcome something to traumatic.
If you are a victim of Physical Abuse don't be afraid to speak up. Talk to someone who you can trust like a parent, friend, colleague, ANYONE!
You don't need to continue to put yourself in harms way. Because no one deserves it. It's an unfortunate occurrence that happens more than it should.
Go to this website to find out some statistics on physical abuse last year; 2012.
Women are more likely than men to be a victim of domestic violence.
One in four women (25%) of experienced some kind of domestic abuse in her lifetime.
For more facts like the one above, go to this website.
This topic, as you can all imagine, hits close to home. I have had my own experiences with sexual abuse, as you all know.
