The council worked with local charities and organisations to produce the video
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00:00It started with a shove and then I just thought it had a bad day because then it turned to
00:13punches and bruises and it hurt.
00:16It really hurt and I was covered in bruises but I started going out and making excuses
00:23and covering up what I'd done so that family and friends didn't know because I felt embarrassed.
00:29I didn't know what I'd done wrong, I thought it was something I'd done.
00:33And then I just didn't go out at all because that felt easier just to stay at home but
00:38then I felt alone and scared and walking on eggshells.
00:45And then one day I just had enough and I left and it was the hardest but best thing I've
00:52ever done and I'm just taking one day at a time, one step at a time and I'm getting
01:00stronger because I don't want to be a victim anymore.
01:04He controlled every penny.
01:06I wasn't allowed to work and he gave me enough money to buy the shopping.
01:11If I ever questioned it, he'd get nasty, accusing me of being wasteful.
01:17I had to ask even for permission to buy even the smallest of things.
01:22I felt like a prisoner with no way out.
01:26My independence was stripped away and I was made to feel really worthless.
01:31I took control of my finances and my life.
01:34I'm now working again, providing for myself and my child and the future looks much brighter.
01:43He made me feel like I had no control over my body.
01:47Whenever he wanted it, I had no choice.
01:51Saying no just wasn't an option.
01:53I felt violated but he convinced me that it was my duty, that I owed it to him.
02:01I felt so alone, ashamed and helpless.
02:06I feel like I lost a part of myself that I don't know if I can ever get it back.
02:14But I am reclaiming my body and my sense of self.
02:17I feel like every day I'm healing and it's bringing me more peace.
02:23He needed to know where I was all the time, who I was with, what I was doing and if I
02:31didn't respond immediately, there was hell to pay.
02:36He isolated me from friends and family.
02:40He controlled what I wore, what I ate.
02:45It felt like I was being suffocated, like I was losing my identity.
02:52Every aspect of my life was controlled and monitored.
02:58I'm reconnecting with friends and family.
03:02I feel free to be myself, without fear or control.
03:09He called me names, insulted me, made me feel like I was nothing.
03:15Every day it was a barrage of hurtful words, breaking me down bit by bit.
03:20I started to believe I was worthless, that I deserved it.
03:25The scars from his words cut deeper than any physical wound.
03:29I was living in constant emotional pain.
03:33I'm learning to love myself again.
03:35The words don't hurt as much anymore.
03:37I'm finding my voice.
03:42He threw me down the stairs after holding me by the throat.
03:45It wasn't the first time he hurt me, but it was the worst.
03:48I remember laying there thinking I might die and all I could think about was my kids.
03:55What would happen to them if I was gone?
03:57I knew I had to survive for them, but I felt trapped with no one to turn to.
04:05My kids and I are safe with a new beginning filled with love and hope.
04:14He controlled all our finances.
04:16I wasn't allowed to have a bank account.
04:19I had to justify every penny, every expense, anywhere I went.
04:23He even took my paycheck.
04:27Like I wasn't even a human anymore, I just had to answer to him.
04:31I felt powerless, like a child, always at his mercy.
04:36I lost my own sense of self-worth.
04:40I now have my own bank account and I'm in control of my finances.
04:44I feel like I belong again, capable and strong.
04:51He forced me over and over.
04:53I said no, but it didn't matter.
04:55I felt dirty and used.
04:58He made me feel like my body wasn't my own.
05:01I wanted to scream, but I was too afraid.
05:05I felt violated, like a part of me was taken away that I could never get back.
05:11The shame was overwhelming.
05:15I'm healing from the trauma.
05:17I'm learning to trust again.
05:20My body is mine and I'm reclaiming my life.
05:26He isolated me from everyone, my friends, my family.
05:31He controlled what I wore, what I ate and where I went.
05:34I wasn't allowed to make any decisions.
05:37The house became a living prison with locked doors and windows and no connection to the
05:42outside world.
05:44I felt trapped, like I was losing myself bit by bit.
05:48I was just an extension of him and not a person.
05:55I'm free from his control.
05:57I'm reconnecting with my loved ones, rediscovering my independence.
06:03He told me I was worthless, that no one would ever love me.
06:08Every day it was something new and I started to believe him.
06:12I felt so small, so insignificant.
06:15I was constantly on edge, waiting for the next verbal attack.
06:19The words cut deep, leaving scars no one could see.
06:22I was a shell of who I used to be.
06:27I'm rebuilding my confidence.
06:29I know I'm worth more than his words.
06:32I'm living my life free from fear.