Julia’s story"My father hits my mother!"

Everyone thinks that everything is OK at home.

But it’s not true.

My father hits my mother.

Sometimes he just shouts at her. But he often beats her up really badly.

I want my parents to love each other again.

Like the used to.

I love them.

But sometimes I just want to make them disappear.

I recently tried to intervene, but only got hit myself.

I shouted at my mother and said that she should throw him out.

But she said: ‘I can’t. We don’t have any money.’

Once we wanted to go to grandma.

We had packed but then we didn’t go.

I simply left home and spent the day in a shopping centre.

I just messed around.

I was often alone and often simply sad.

My grades got worse.

At some point my teacher asked me what was wrong.

I told her everything.

She spoke to my mother and told her where she could get help.

My mother called the advice centre and they organised a place in a women’s shelter.

At first I thought it was completely stupid there.

But mum is much better.

We have a room for ourselves. It’s tiny but dad can’t come here.

The smaller children often get on my nerves. But I also have new friends and don’t have to explain to anyone why I’m here.

If I’m not feeling good or need help with my homework, the childcare workers are there for me.

The social worker in the women’s shelter has helped my mother with the paperwork. Now we also get some money.

We are looking for a new apartment.