Domestic Blisters and Caustic Bitches

Domestic abuse.

I lived in a relationship full of domestic violence. I never thought that I would be that woman who didn't leave. I thought I was strong. Fear is real and immobilising. I feared for my life. It wasn't until I was prepared to lose my life rather than to continue living in fear that I had the courage to leave. It had been two and a half years since the abuse first began.

It takes most battered women months or years of abuse to finally summon enough courage to leave or to take the justified action of seeking legal protection through the application of an AVO (Apprehended Violence Order).

As a woman who lived with violence as a frequent occurance, I find it horrific that some women wrongfully use the AVO (set up to cover and protect women experiencing genuine fear and abuse) as their own weapon of revenge and domestic abuse against their partners.

This action can only weaken the protections available victims of domestic abuse and provide amunition to those groups whose agenda is to roll back the legal protections of victims of domestic abuse.