Like most women, I was unaware that I was a victim of domestic violence. My husband had managed to diminish me through years of psychological and physical abuse and even through the use of drugs. However, despite being almost destroyed, I managed to rebuild my dignity and demonstrate my innocence. I loved my husband. I never imagined that he could harm me or that he would end up trying to destroy me. Nor did I think, when he started hurting me, that this could be intentional, since all the aggressors blame their victims. In my case, the victimization was so effective that, after each assault, I would recreate the incident to see what I had done to make my husband react in this way.

This is my story, that of a battered and immigrant woman who found no way to escape or hide; A Catholic who believes in family and who fought to keep it for the good of her children. However, in the end, and precisely for them, she was forced to leave that vicious marriage to save herself and them.

Carmen Maria Montiel