Cassie* approached the Central Western Daily this week to talk about her experiences – harassed by a former partner after their separation, she approached the police and she is now glad she did. 

She embarked on a relationship while she was still a teenager, but soon realised something was amiss.

“He treated me differently to how my father or brothers treated me, they didn’t speak down to me,” she said.

“He started to control me – he told me if I wanted anything to do with him, I couldn’t live at home with my parents and I thought, that’s not going to happen.

“Domestic violence is not just physical violence, it’s controlling where you can go or who you can speak to.”

Attempts to assert herself only escalated the situation and she ended the relationship, but her former partner continued to text and call her for the next four months.

“If I was lucky, I’d hear from him twice a week,” she said. 

A warning from the police did not stop the contact, so Cassie took the next step and insisted on an apprehended violence order.

The police made the application and put her in touch with the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service. 

“They sat in the courtroom with me and I just felt like I wasn’t alone – they wanted me protected,” she said. 

Cassie said the emotional abuse did take its toll.

“I had to keep reminding myself I was the same person before him and I was the same person, if not a better version, after him,” she said. 

“I feel like I’ve come back a lot stronger.”

She said it was important for her to speak out because she wanted to help women in similar circumstances. 

“I was strong enough to walk away from it, but I see many young girls facing the same thing,” she said.

“I want to let people know you don’t have to be a statistic.”

*Name changed by the Central Western Daily to avoid identifying her former partner.

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