FROM PTSD TO PTS-FREE

Providing Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence and / or Sexual Assault by Giving Them a Voice.|
Why Is She Laughing is a work in progress. We believe that the only way to reduce the stigma attached to being a ‘victim’ domestic violence or sexual assault is to enable the conversation. Our dream is to build a compilation of inspiration from victims survivors, short stories, articles, poetry, microblogs – and more.

Let’s continue the conversation… #WhyILeft, #WhyIStayed, #HowILeft, #YesAllWomen…

SHOCKING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assaults are becoming an epidemic in our country. We need to be horrified by these statistics – and then do something about it.

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percent of women are victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

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percent of homeless families identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.

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percent of gay or bisexual men who will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

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The percentage of financial abuse that occurs in all domestic violence cases.

Hello world!

Welcome to marketplacemaven.com Sites. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

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“If He was that bad? Then why did you put up with it?

He starts as the perfect gentleman/dream guy. He will have all his peacock feathers on full display. Her family will encourage her, “wow. You finally met prince charming” . However then starts the name calling and belittling, he reinforces  her insecurities and exploits them.  If she thinks she is fat – he will remind her […]

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Please Stop Using Women’s Safety as an Excuse for Bigotry

“OMG – We can’t let in a refugee because they might be a Muslim rapist and we need to protect our women and children.” “OMG – We can’t let transgender women use the women’s bathroom because they might be a sexual predator and we need to protect our women and children.” “OMG – we need […]

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Dear Person Who Wrote The Open Letter to Target:

Dear Person Who Wrote The Open Letter to Target: Feel free to agree or disagree with the politics and policies regarding public restrooms. That is your perogative. However, it is incredibly cruel and ignorant to assume that transgender people have any need when going into a restroom other than clearing their bladders, checking their Facebook […]

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Stop saying, I’m #$*&$ Sensitive

Recently, On more than one occasion I have been accused of being “too sensitive”.  I always get surprised when someone says that I am sensitive, I had never thought of myself that way… and now PTSD has turned me into an over sensitive cry baby. I had to learn to let things roll off my […]

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From the Editor

I could not stop the inappropriate giggles during my rape kit. Humor (especially inappropriate humor) was  always my defense mechanism. I thought that it was better for me to crack jokes than to break down and cry. The nurses even asked “why is she laughing” – and that phrase stuck in my head…

It echoed for months as I worked with police and prosecutors. It echoed while I tried to focus on m “day job”. But while I heard that echo there still was a voice inside my head that reminded me that “things like this do not happen to people like me”… Like many other victims, I felt shame and embarrassment; how could I let this happen. I worked with counselors – and found an unlikely support group via a Facebook group. I heard stories from other women, and the island upon which I felt oh so isolated started to connect to the outside world.

I found myself reading stories published by other media outlets – like ThoughtCatalog, HuffingtonPost, and MindBodyGreen. While I was in love with what they published I found myself craving more – wishing there was just one site that would focus on domestic violence and sexual assault. I wanted to read personal stories. It was comforting to me that I was not the only person struggling in the way I was.

Sometimes I feel that it is socially acceptable for one, who is recovering from a severe illness, or addiction to vocalize their recovery – but it is quite jarring to admit (and probably to hear) one say “I am a recovering rape victim survivor”. This is one of the many reasons I want to bring awareness to the recovery/healing process. And thus became my desire to build a community. I wanted to build a community, a compilation of stories from real people.

~ WISL Editor