*Trigger warning: contains abuse and notions of sexual abuse*
Would you choose to be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?
This debate has been ongoing for a while across social media platforms, with women arguing that they feel safer with a bear than a man. As an abuse survivor, I choose the bear. At least with a bear, I know what I’m getting. A bear will attack you or at least give you a chance to run away but a man is too unpredictable.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.
I’m only 28 years old and I’ve been in two abusive relationships before the age of 30. I’ve been abused physically, emotionally, psychologically and controlled in more ways than I can count. The first man who introduced me to violence was my own father, so yes I will take the bear thanks.
All jokes aside, every minute every second of the day a woman is being abused at the hands of a man. Sexual assault is more common than we think with many young girls experiencing abuse before the age of 18 years old.
When I started my podcast ‘Ten Important Minutes’ (available on Spotify and TikTok) it opened up my eyes to how many women had been affected by abuse. I knew it was common but reading out people’s anonymous stories was pretty personal. It gave me a second window into the world of abuse, seeing things through their eyes.