Brutality is more than physical
Re: Social Crisis, May 10-16
The article is excellent, but I wish Monday would shine a light on another form of abuse that is equally savage and destructive: psychological brutality. My ex-husband never laid a hand on me, but he beat me to a pulp every day for 15 years with words carefully chosen to cut and hurt me in the most vulnerable areas of my psyche. With lightning speed, Dr. Jeckyll became Mr. Hyde, tormenting me with comments so terrible they still sting like open wounds. Emotional abuse eats you alive from the inside. The damage it inflicts is greatly exacerbated by its invisibility. I had no bruises or scars — so nobody believed me. I couldn't call the police because the abuse was legal. I couldn't make it stop. If we are a just society, we need to make mental violence part of the criminal code. But first of all, emotional abuse has to be taken out of the closet and covered in mainstream media. The best thing I ever did was divorce that man. I am free now. And I am happy. My wonderful new man friends remind me every day that my ex was the lone wolf and not part of the pack.
Doreen Marion Gee,Victoria