Sunday, December 05, 2004
Two years ago, when she was 19, Hanna found herself at Harmony House. That was after seven years of hell.
Since the age of 12, Hanna (a pseudonym) had been undergoing abuse in her home -- physical, sexual and (it goes without saying) emotional. It had become so much a part of her world, she says now, it seemed almost normal.
"Until you're out of it, you don't even realize how bad it is."
She kept running away, making her full escape at age 16. In an indifferent relationship three years after that, she gave birth to a baby girl. Her brother, one of her abusers at home, was so enraged he came after her.
The attack moved Hanna in a way nothing before ever had. "I was no longer just scared for my own life, I was scared for my daughter. I thought, the best thing I can do is flee."
Terrified and on her own, she ended up at Harmony House. It was the best thing that could have happened.
Hanna says Harmony House helped her understand her rights, helped her get into parenting classes, helped her get into part-time education. When her brother attacked her 18 months ago and nearly put her into hospital, she did what she had never done before. She called police. Her brother was charged, served time and now, she says, doesn't come near her.
She no longer lives at Harmony House, but the time she spent there she considers invaluable. Not only was she safe while she got busy with the job of forging a future for herself, she was given the space to do something else she considers crucial.
"Mainly, I worked a lot on my self-esteem."
These days, she enjoys being a mother to her two-year-old daughter. She works part-time. She does volunteer work, helping women in need. She is a university student, taking sociology. She'd love to become a high-school teacher one day, although she hasn't ruled out social work.
Ask Hanna what impact Harmony House has had on her, and she has no difficulty at all describing it. Simply put?
"I started living my life at 19."
Ran with main story "Battered miracle" on page C2.
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Janice Kennedy's column appears weekly. Contact her at jkennedy@thecitizen.canwest.com
Ran with main story "Battered miracle" on page C2.
Reprinted from the Ottawa Citizen