"No. He didn't hit me.

But he violently assaulted who I was.

My identify was kicked, scratched, burnt, humiliated, punched, stabbed and starved.

Left bleeding, bruised, gasping for breath. 

Begging for scraps of kindness. Flinching as each fresh lash of words whipped me. A precise flaying of my personality. Left raw and hollow.  Just a simulated smile and the voice of a ventriloquist's dummy. 

No. He didn't hit me"

The stats

• Gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against women and girls (VAWG), is a global pandemic that affects 1 in 3 women in their lifetime.

• The prevalence of psychological intimate-partner violence against women in the EU is 43%.
  
  
• Emotional abuse involves behaviors intended to generate emotional harm or threat of harm, such as belittling, humiliating, threatening or intimidating the victim.
  

My story

A few months' before the pandemic hit, I was a shadow of myself. An emotionally violent relationship left me lost, suicidal, paranoid and broken. How had the bubbly, confident, energetic woman I used to know been so masterfully reduced to nothing? 

Fortunately, I had a wonderful loving support network to help me pick up the pieces. People who had spent years deeply worried about my transformation and were ready to carry me while I pieced myself back together. 

And as I spent months in therapy healing myself, my career had me working alongside researchers specialising in Gender Violence and Health. 

I came to learn that intimate partner violence is the result of learned behaviours and societal norms from a young age. I read about the devastating toll violence is taking against women worldwide everyday. I began to understand that the pandemic of violence against women is preventable.

But only through research and advocacy - which is chronically underfunded. 

As I spoke with the researchers, I began to feel powerful. For a long time I had felt helpless, angry, and terrified of repercussions for speaking out. But the work from the Gender Violence and Health Centre gave me back my voice - I'm not a victim but a powerful female force who can advocate and fundraise for change.

So I'm going to take on a tough mental and physical challenge to raise the £££ to enable the science to happen.

All funds received will go directly to the Gender Violence and Health Centre at LSHTM. 



The challenge

Three weekends in a row. Three runs.

1. Rat Race Dirty Weekend: 20 miles, 200 obstacles
2. Nuclear Race: 12km, 70+ obstacles
3. Tough Mudder: 10 miles, 30 obstacles

And keep an eye out on the page - I'll be adding blogs, poems, and bonus challenges in return for funds as I get closer to the day!!