Carla
I lived with him for three years and it was hell. He didn’t like my first child. He beat my son and he beat me but I didn’t feel I had a choice. I had nowhere to go and I had another child. But in the end I couldn’t take another blow.

“The police held him for a while so I could go back and get some clothes and nappies.”


Name:
Carla
Age: 24

He wouldn’t even let the boy sit and eat with us. I moved in with the friend of a neighbour. She works with women who are subjected to violence but it was only five blocks away, so it was a mistake. One day he came round and wanted to see our child, but he was drunk and I said no. Then he came back with his mother and his brother; they kicked the door in and dragged me out. The neighbour called the police, who held him for a while so I could go back and get some clothes and nappies. I sat there on the pavement and cried. Then I was able to sleep at a friend’s for two nights, and she brought me to the women’s shelter. Now I’m going to try and find a job in a factory. I’ve done that kind of work before, and I liked it.