Who Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?
There may have been a time when looking in the mirror felt simple. You saw your face, fixed your hair, and went on with your day. But abuse can change the reflection you see. After being criticized, controlled, blamed, or made to feel worthless, you may begin looking at yourself through the eyes of the […]
RADV Article: Patience Is Part of the Healing
Patience is difficult when you have already spent too much of your life waiting. Waiting for someone to change.Waiting for the next argument.Waiting for an apology that never came.Waiting for the fear to pass.Waiting for the right moment to leave.Waiting to feel like yourself again. After everything you have endured, being told to “just be […]
RADV Article: Your Safety Comes First
Sometimes survival means making decisions you never imagined you would have to make. You may be trying to keep the peace, protect your children, hold your family together, or prevent the situation from becoming worse. You may worry about where you will go, how you will pay the bills, or whether anyone will believe you. […]
RADV Article: The Day You Go to Court
The day you go to court may begin long before you enter the courthouse. It may begin the night before, when sleep will not come. You may replay what happened, worry about what will be said, and wonder whether anyone will believe you. You may check your documents repeatedly. You may imagine seeing the person […]
RADV Report: Federal Court Removes Grant Conditions That Threatened Inclusive Survivor Services
Survivor-service organizations should never have to choose between receiving federal funding and helping every survivor who comes through their doors. A federal court has removed new conditions that the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to attach to grants supporting domestic-violence and sexual-assault services, housing assistance, […]
RADV REPORT: Welcome to the New RADV.org
A Website Built to Help Survivors Find Their Next Step The new Riders Against Domestic Violence website is live, and everything we are building has one purpose: Make it easier for survivors to find information, encouragement, resources, and a path forward. RADV.org isn’t meant to be just another organization website. It’s meant to be a […]
Your Light Doesn’t Diminish Because Someone Else Can’t See It
There are people who will stand in the presence of everything good within you and still refuse to acknowledge it. They may overlook your kindness, dismiss your strength, question your worth, or make you feel as though nothing you do will ever be enough. After hearing those messages long enough, you may begin to believe […]
Some Days Are Roses, Some Days Are Weeds—but Every Single Day, You’re a Survivor
Some days feel like roses. The sun seems a little brighter. Your heart feels lighter. You laugh without forcing it, breathe without fighting for it, and—for a little while—life feels gentle again. Then there are the weed days. The days when painful memories grow where you thought you had finally found peace. The days when […]
Before There Was RADV
Chapter 8: Men Can Be Victims Too Last Saturday, I told you that after everything I had already survived, I eventually found myself in another abusive relationship. This time, I was married. And for a long time, I didn’t know what to call what was happening to me. I was a man. I was supposed […]
RADV Article: You Might Have Slowed Me Down, but You’re Never Going to Stop Me
There are people who will try to convince you that the damage they caused has permanently destroyed your future. They may have taken away your confidence. They may have isolated you from the people who loved you, controlled your choices or forced you to live every day wondering what would happen next. They may have […]