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I'm the problem, it's me."
Everybody agrees everybody agrees….
We all know those lyrics so well.
I never thought they would mirror my life in a strange and twisted way.
When I fled domestic abuse and coercive control, I was referred by the Police to a Domestic Abuse Charity for a non-molestation order. Unfortunately, that Charity gave my perpetrator my new address in a data protection breach and… blamed the error on me.
You're the problem, it's you."
(actually, nobody agrees….)
Victim blaming was the last thing I expected from a charity, especially one that educates others about the detrimental effect of victim blaming.
Well, isn't it ironic, don't you think?
This has been going on for years now.
I experienced feelings of unmanageable despair when I first found out. Their mistake caused a plethora of issues, and in turn, I had to agree to undertakings and drop the non-molestation order against my will.
Their responses made me feel physically unwell. I had been so careful not to tell anyone my new address, even friends, to keep safe. I find it unbelievable that a Domestic Abuse Charity meant to protect domestic abuse victims is victim blaming.
How can a traumatised victim's job be to ensure their personal information is not handed out? This Charity deals with incredibly vulnerable adults and has a duty of care. There must be procedures where the victim is asked if their perpetrator knows their address. No one ever asked me, which is why I stressed it so much.
Does this mean that if the domestic abuse victim didn't specify to withhold the personal information, the Charity would hand it out?
How could this Charity make a presumption that the perpetrator knows the new address?
I fired these questions at them and my solicitors. I wanted answers and never got any.
Even if I thought I mentioned it and didn't, they should still be held accountable for not asking. Unfortunately, their mistake impacted my case, and I have to live with this now. What makes the situation even more unbearable is that they behave like a perpetrator. They have made me feel like a problem, not a person.
When my address was given away, I did not run to the doctors to be prescribed anti-depressants. I was actually criticised for not taking them. I stood by my judgement, and I wouldn't budge. I was told because of MY actions, there was no evidence their error had a psychological effect on me. The only way to prove I was psychologically impacted was to agree to have a psychiatric assessment.
On Wednesday, the 22nd of March, I was assessed.