True Stories
Sadly, lots of kids live with family violence, so you’re not alone. These stories below are all true stories from people who grew up with violence and abuse in their family. They talk about what happened, how they felt and how they survived.
They also share what they would like to say to you, if you’re going through anything like this too.
Steph
We were all scared of dad. He would fly into rages and demand perfection in our school results, and swear and smash the table with his fist. Dad did the silent treatment whenever mum tried to assert her own views…
Read more »Pettina
My mum and dad divorced when I was very young. We lived in a housing commission flat. Mum had lots of single friends who always came over and we never seemed to have any family time. Then mum met a new partner, and we moved into a nice house in the suburbs. Then they started fighting, and there was violence. Mum took us to live in different places for weeks, but we always went back…
Read more »Maya
I never thought that I had grown up in a violent house. My dad never hit my mother or my brothers or sisters, he never beat us and we never had to hide bruises under school uniforms…
Read more »Jillian
When we were growing up our mother did everything she could to keep us safe, but our father was violent and we were all frightened of him….
Read more »Gary
When I look back on my childhood, I would not say that it was defined by the family violence that I experienced. In fact, if you asked me to describe how I grew up, that’s not even the first thing that comes to mind…
Read more »Arul
My father began to abuse my mother when they got engaged. He beat her on their honeymoon. My father had my grandparents fooled and blamed my mother for her abuse. They moved to Australia and he completely isolated her…
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