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Day 6. Caroline’s daughter, 16

Thursday 30th November, 2023 “My daughter is 16, she was recently coming back on a train at around 4pm and 3 drunk men spent 20 minutes loudly talking about how “all blondes are sluts” whilst staring at my daughter. She tried to ignore them but she was terrified they would get off at her stop. …

Day 5, Anonymous

Wednesday 29th November, 2023 Like yesterday this survivor of sibling abuse has asked to remain anonymous: “When I was a child I used to tell lots of silly, pointless lies and at the time I was never sure why I did it. Now I realise It was because I had to lie everyday, to hide …

Day 4, Anonymous, 58

Tuesday 28th November, 2023 Anonymous told me: “There is an area of domestic abuse that doesn’t get nearly enough attention – sibling abuse, either sexual abuse, violence or verbal abuse. Every day of my life until my brother left home when I was 14, I was verbally abused by my brother. Until I was 12, …

Day 3. Esther* 46

Monday 27th November, 2023 My uncle started making sexualised comments towards me when I was a small child, asking me what I was wearing to bed when I was only ten years old. As my parents are deaf they wouldn’t have heard his comments to me, he took full advantage of this, I always felt …

Day 2. Deborah*, 15.

Sunday 26th November, 2023 You might be wondering why Rachel, yesterday, didn’t tell a teacher about the boy harassing her. Well Deborah did…. I stood with my head bowed and shoulders hunched.I kept my back to the wall.Maybe this time I’d get into class before he started.But no.His hand on my arm as I try …

Day 1. Rachel, 14

Saturday 25th November, 2023 Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women and the first of #16days of activism to end gender based violence. For each of the 16 days I will be giving a voice to women and girls from the U.K. to tell their story about how gender based …

Sparrow

It’s not always easy to see the wood for the treesEspecially when life has come crashing down and left you on your kneesWhen the darkness has gathered, hand in hand with your foesAnd the birdhouse you built long ago in your soulDidn’t weather the storm but fell down in the breeze When the child you …

In praise of Non-Toxic Masculinity

Sunday 19th November 2023 Today is international men’s day so I thought it was a good opportunity to celebrate non-toxic masculinity and what makes those men so bloody great. There are loads of wonderful men in my life; my sons, my marvellous boyfriend, my nephew, brother-in-law, my dad and a handful of really great friends. …

Throwback Thursday: Words

15th August 2022 Words of love.Words of wisdom of advice,Words of guidance, words that give life.PickedPluckedRemoved.StrippedSquashedDeformed.Twisted and mangled, torn and abusedFormed into bullets, made into pain.Against their willTheir beauty destroyedWords that give life falling from the mouths of those who seek deathInsults hurled, spirits crushed, hearts hardened.Death.