A mum has told how a Perth charity “saved her life” after she was forced to change her appearance and move house following domestic abuse.
Abigail Bennett says she was subjected to coercive control and physical and sexual abuse at the hands of a former partner.
The 40-year-old, who is originally from Portsmouth, was left with PTSD and says she was diagnosed with skin condition vitiligo – which can be brought on by stress.
She eventually moved from England to Perth – where she has relatives – with daughters Honey, 9, and Wren, 5, and sought the help of Perthshire Women’s Aid.
She is now raising money for the charity.
‘The abuse was more dangerous than I realised’
Abigail says that what seemed like a “perfect” relationship with a man quickly turned abusive.
She said: “You just keep thinking, ‘Maybe if I try a little harder it will get better’, but it gets worse.
“He had me living frightened constantly.
“The abuse was more severe and dangerous than I realised.”
Abigail says it felt “debilitating” and she lived in a “survival mode of anxiety”.
She changed her appearance and got a different car because she was “scared to do anything”.
Having felt let down by police, she reached out to a Women’s Aid branch near to where she was living but it was unable to help.
That led to her contacting Perthshire Women’s Aid, and she moved to a refuge in Perth two weeks later.
Within six weeks she was in her own home and now has a part-time job.
She said: “The support from Perth saved my life.
‘It was true – it did happen’
“The whole dynamic of abuse leads you to live in fear of speaking up and living like you’re not allowed to say what happened, because you have to live with this shame of being called out and it not being true.
“But it was true. It did happen.
“I want to empower and show people no matter what happens and are subjected to, you can take your life back, take your voice back and take control of your future.”
Abigail is walking 10 miles every day in February for Perthshire Women’s Aid and Refuge, and is welcoming donations via Facebook and JustGiving.
She has already raised more than £600.
Louise Craig, manager at Perthshire Woman’s Aid, said: “A lot of the women we work with, when they first come into our service, they’re not in a good way.
“Most of their life has crumbled around them.
“To see someone we’ve helped shift their energy into something and use their experience for good is fab – I love that part of what we do.
“We support women and children affected by domestic abuse and are always encouraged and humbled when people we support can make positive progress.
“It’s great to see Abigail fundraising for the work we do in helping raise awareness to domestic abuse. This awareness really helps us create positive change.”
Conversation