It’s #GivingTuesday: Read Star’s Story

From Feeling Guilty to Finding Your Voice

For women like Abrigo client Star, the isolation they endured during the pandemic took on an added dimension when dealing with an abusive partner.

Star’s youthfulness and bright smile belies the difficult challenges she has endured. The physical violence, verbal threats and emotional and financial abuse delivered by her estranged partner are now a thing of the past… but the residue lingers.

“Society places a lot of guilt on us, as women,” says Star. “We are made to feel embarrassed and guilty about the errors of others. When there’s abuse in the home, it’s perceived to be the fault of the woman and we carry that with us.”

Abrigo has seen a 22 per cent increase in gender-based violence calls in the last year alone.

It’s time to face the growing threat of domestic violence in our community head on. Your financial support of $25, $50 or $100 will go directly to counselling services for Abrigo’s Gender-based Violence clients.

No one should have to live fear, or carry with them the guilt of being a victim of domestic abuse. Now is the time to make a difference, please give today. Click now https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/3063  or on the CanadaHelps logo at the top right on this page to make your donation.

With the individual counselling she has received, Star feels changed as a person, more regulated and emotionally balanced. “When I was with him, I couldn’t speak. Now I can speak because of the help I received at Abrigo.”

Join us in the fight to end gender-based violence. Please make your donation today.

With my sincere thanks,

Ed Graca, Executive Director

PS:Your gift can make a big difference this GivingTuesday. Donate $20 or more to Abrigo and we’ll get an additional $2 from our partner CanadaHelps with each gift!

PPS: Our client’s name in this story was changed to protect her identity.