By Michelle Kricheff | Development and Marketing Associate
Thank you so much for your generous support of loveisrespect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. You've already helped us answer 20,906 calls, chats and texts from young people around the country in 2019, and the year isn't even half over!
The impact of your support is critical to those who contact loveisrespect each and every day, some who are sharing their story for the very first time. Recently, a 20-year-old woman named Rosalie* chatted in to talk about what might happen if she reported physical abuse she was experiencing. Two months ago, she had been hospitalized after her partner had hit her in the face, and she still wasn't able to fully open her mouth. Her partner is in the military, and she didn't want to ruin his career by reporting him, but she was very scared for her safety.
Our advocate validated how natural it was to worry about the repercussions an abuser might face, but reminded Rosalie that she deserves a safe and happy life too. As our advocate educated her about different abuse types, she said, "All of this is what he did. Oh my god. I didn’t even realize it." She hadn’t thought of what she was experiencing as sexual or emotional abuse until this moment. Our advocate explored some military, legal, and sexual assault support resources in her area, talked through some steps she could take to stay safer, and told Rosalie how impressive, capable, resilient, strong and brave she was.
At the end of her chat, Rosalie said, "Thank you, this is all very helpful. Talking to you opened my eyes to how abusive he is and I never want that again. I deserve better than that. I really wasn’t sure how any of this worked, but now I feel great. I feel strong and confident. I feel proud for making these steps because I never would have months ago. I can’t thank you enough.”
Thank you for being here for young people like Rosalie. Your support helps her and thousands more get the resources and support they so deserve--24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We couldn't do this work without you!
*Name changed to protect chatter privacy.
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