VALERIA'S STORY
HELPING-HAND 2022
GENDER JUSTICE salvationarmy.org.uk/helpinghand2022
Trigger Warning - Domestic Abuse I was born and raised in Tres Arroyos, Argentina. I lived with my parents and four siblings. As a child, I witnessed a lot of violence. My father would often physically abuse my mother. Sometimes after he had hit her, we would leave the house. It could be after midnight and we would just be on the streets. Eventually my mother left my father and some time later she started a relationship with another man. He had already been jailed for violence. He lived with us in our house, and my sister and I always had problems with him. He harassed us constantly. For seven years he lived with us and we were so afraid. My sister often had panic attacks as a result of his behaviour. It got to a point where we could stand it no longer and we spoke to our mother. But she defended him so we decided we had to leave home. We didn’t have enough money to rent our own place but our aunt allowed us to stay with her. It was then that my cousin told me about The Salvation Army group therapy sessions. It has been very good for me because I can hear from other women who have experienced similar things. I can relate to many of the stories being told. I have experienced and seen abuse since I was a child. This group has helped me a lot. I have got to know the women in the group well. We have all cried together but we have all laughed together too. This group has encouraged and supported me. I’ve been able to get my own place and now I have a sense of relief in my life. To other women, I would say, you can get help. There is hope and you can get out.
