< Translator’s note: The original formatting of the stories has been preserved. The translations aim to remain as close as possible to each author's original wording and expression.

 

My dad left us to starve to death—my mom, me, my brother, and my sister. Because of the hunger, my mom’s milk dried up. She said she didn’t know what to do with two babies and me, a three-year-old, because the little ones cried from hunger at night. Dad would come back once every few months and beat my mom. He also regularly threatened to stab us all to death at night.

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One of the neighbors called the police, but they would come, file reports, and leave. And he would stay and keep doing all of this. That’s how the police acted every time they came. I know this is still happening today, and that you can’t rely on them. Nevertheless, my dad is still free and has never faced any punishment for his actions; he never paid child support. We survived by a miracle.

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My mom’s parents helped us, and my mom worked two jobs: at our kindergarten, and at night, at a bakery. She worked almost around the clock.

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My dad is a monster. I want him to be jailed for the crimes of violence against my mom.

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By the way, as far as I know, he started a new relationship, had a child, and that woman kicked him out, too. I wonder how many more lives he’s ruined?

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Anonymous author; story shared in 2023 as part of the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign