For one young Melton mother, the assistance received from the Melton Family Violence Unit was life-changing.
The mother of two, who did not want to be named, told Star Weekly she had once held a good job as an executive assistant at a Melbourne university and had great aspirations for the future. She then met her husband and after only months found herself pregnant and her life spiralling out of control.
“The first instance of violence was at our engagement party where he was blind drunk and he had a fight with my friend who is mentally unstable,” she recalled.
“I was pregnant and it was quite traumatic. I had to jump on him. Then it was another incident a few months later, then another a few months after that.”
The verbal abuse became worse as did her husband’s ‘ice’ addiction.
“He’d take my money … then the psychotic part of ice came in delusions. He started yelling at the kids all the time – then I took a stand and said that’s it, you’re not seeing them again.
“It was never physical abuse, always verbal, but it was very in your face … threatening … he would say if you leave it will be the last thing you ever do.”
And in that moment, like many other victims before her, she believed him.
“I used to think, what if I grab one of them [the children] and he goes at me and hurts one of them, so I would just sit in the bedroom and read them stories and sing them lullabies, trying to distract them from what he was doing outside.”
After contacting the family violence unit, the 23-year-old mother gave her husband another go, but after more abuse she decided enough was enough and spoke to Sergeant Ken Anderson who reassured her that the unit “had her back”.
“They [the unit] are amazing … they constantly call up and visit and give the kids teddies. They started to build up this relationship so the kids don’t think it’s a scary policeman with a gun at my door.”
A protection order was put in place and the children now see their father under strict supervision and, despite having some bad days, life is getting back to normal for them.
The brave mum has some advice for other women in a similar situation.
“Get the courage to leave. If you can’t do it in that moment – ’cause I know what it’s like in that moment, you’re scared –phone [the unit] another day.”
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