True stories

Simone

I had been living with my partner for about a year when he began to change. He started insulting me and putting me down in front of people. He threw things around and threatened to hit me, although he never did.

I felt guilty and thought I was doing something wrong. Eventually I rang Refuge. The woman there explained that you don't have to be beaten to be abused. I nearly cried when she told me what was happening wasn't my fault.

Lisa

I rang Refuge for help in the middle of the night and in a state of shock - my fiance had just spat at me and pushed me around quite badly. It was the first time and I was too embarrassed to turn to my family. The woman I spoke to on the helpline understood what I was going through. She helped me start thinking about my options.

Nina

I called Refuge because I was so scared. I thought he was going to attack my kids - he'd said he would - and I didn't know what to do or where to go. He went out to see a friend and I just grabbed them and ran. It took a while but the helpline managed to find us a refuge that day. I don't want to think about what would have happened if we'd stayed at home.

All names and identifying details have been changed to protect individuals involved.