Please Sign!!

I'm not one to always read the items in my Newsreel on Facebook but one that caught my eye this morning was from Refuge about signing a petition to the Government to encourage them to hold a public enquiry into the way the Police and other agencies handle Domestic Abuse responses.

Sign Petition for Public Inquiry into Handling of Domestic Abuse Responses

I would encourage anyone and everyone to sign it! Anyone who has experienced or is experiencing Domestic Abuse will understand the importance of this. Anyone who hasn't experienced it or doesn't know anyone that has then please consider signing it anyway. Two women a week are killed because of Domestic Abuse and very often the people around them have not been aware there was anything happening before they were killed. Not all abuse is physical violence but can result in terrible things.

I feel very passionate about trying to raise the awareness of such issues having lived in a Domestic Abusive relationship and although sometimes when I reflect on my 'previous' life I belittle it somewhat compared to those who have been hospitalised or worse, I know that what I experienced was unacceptable and completing The Freedom Programme has strengthened this.

Only yesterday in the news there was a story about a British man, Julian Stevenson who murdered his two children during his first unsupervised contact session with his children after an acrimonious separation and divorce from their mother because of Domestic Abuse. I am back in court tomorrow fighting similar circumstances. I live in fear every day that my ex will turn up out the blue and snatch my children or the Family Courts will have pity on him and give him the contact he claims he wants and he will then do something similar, with the theory that 'if he can't have them (kids), then no-one can'. Some people think I am being over dramatic but nobody knows what goes off in the heads of these men and tomorrow we are in court expecting the judge to recommend a full psychiatric assessment of my ex. Fingers crossed......