This topic contains 2 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
Some of you will remember me posting on the Facebook group about a young lady I knew on Twitter who lived in a small rural town and was trying to escape from an abusive father. Well, I remembered that I haven’t told more of her story since that last post.
After some encouragement from me and several other people, she got in contact with the women’s refuge in the nearest regional town and someone went and got her. This is in a large town about 90 minutes drive away. She left with her laptop, phone and a small range of clothes.
It was very brave of her, and I’m proud she did it. Watching her tweets, living in the refuge was a revelation for her. At first, they made sure she had no access to sharp objects. This was probably a good idea as in the first few days there was more talk about cutting herself. But I haven’t seen a tweet about that in months. Also, she had access to some legal aid and brought charges against her own father. Within a week or two, he was arrested and charged. Apparently my friend’s evidence was pretty good because he was convicted, too, though not jailed. She said he got an Apprehended Violence Order. Moreover, child services are now concerned for her younger siblings.
In the meantime, she has begun a recovery, and – without prompting from me or anyone else that I could see – gradually revealed more of herself to those on Twitter who care about her. I’ve learnt what her name is, she has put the name of the large town in her Twitter profile, and I’ve now seen several pictures of what she really looks like. The refuge and/or Victim Services has found her a counsellor and accommodation of her own, including some furnishings and appliances. I imagine there’s also a stipend of some sort for living expenses such as food and utility bills.
There are still signs of a damaged young lady, but there are also signs of healing. One valuable lesson the refuge clearly taught her was that it was okay to be herself. And she had begun to enjoy that, amongst other things purchasing a Necomimi of her own (the cat ears I have in my avatar) and taking considerable delight in wearing them about town and watching people’s responses. She would have been deathly afraid of doing anything like that six months ago! And just yesterday she was trying to figure out how to make her own way to Sydney just to see Vivid. And perhaps for us to meet in person. Alas, this is unlikely to happen as she is technically too young to rent any sort of accommodation for a night.
I have to say I don’t deserve the honour of being able to help a fellow human being find a way out of this, even if much of the time I was doing little more than “cheering from the sidelines”. But she’s come through this and we’ve both learnt things.
Wow. I appreciate you keeping us up to date on her.
Great to hear. I think the best work is done from the sidelines.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.