Tenía 23 años, era madre soltera y estaba embarazada de mi segunda hija. Mi prometido tenía problemas con el consumo de alcohol y recibí muchos golpes y moretones hasta que nació nuestra hija. Me di cuenta de que si no me iba, mis hijas no me verían como una persona fuerte.

“This is not OK; this is not who I will be; I will love my children; violence will not be allowed in my home.”

Probablemente tenía 8 o 9 años la primera vez que fuimos a un refugio de Women Against Abuse, a mediados de la década de los ochenta. Era en [el oeste de Philadelphia], porque mi mamá estaba en una situación de violencia doméstica y necesitábamos encontrar un lugar seguro en el que vivir.

Entering the Women Against Abuse safe haven – really leaving for good – was the culmination of 10 years of relationship abuse; more arguments, threats and sleepless nights than Natalie* could count. They had children together, shared a life together, depended on each other financially. It wasn’t easy to break things off.

Pro bono representation provided by local law firms makes a meaningful difference for the thousands of clients seeking help at our Legal Center.

Doreen Davis is a longtime supporter of Women Against Abuse who has used her expertise in traditional labor law to assist WAA for over two decades.

When a survivor's child was in trouble, Beth Huffman helped organize a press conference to get the story out on behalf of Women Against Abuse's Legal Center.

William Spratley flicks through the text messages on his phone until he finds the one he’s been looking for. It’s from his 27-year old daughter, Ameya, and it’s the last words he will ever exchange with her.

I was probably 8 or 9 the first time we went to Women Against Abuse’s shelter in the mid-1980s. It was in [West Philly] and it was because my mom was in a domestic violence situation and we needed to find a safe place to live.

It was young love, and it felt exciting. Looking back, there were red flags early on, but I didn’t see them at the time.