Dear readers,

Before you is a book that brings together 23 stories of women of different ages, from various social and economic backgrounds, with different levels of education and beliefs, yet they have something in common. Unfortunately, they share the experience of having survived intimate partner violence or domestic violence. At the Association SOS Helpline for Women and Children - Victims of Violence, we decided to offer the Slovenian professional and general public a book that provides insight into the painful experiences of violence behind closed doors, and to do so by letting those who experienced it speak for themselves. Through their accounts, the reader will confront what it means to be a victim of violence, how differently one can cope with this experience, and how difficult it is to break free from the cycle of violence. The goal of the collected stories is to show how people experiencing violence feel within the system, caught in the grip of institutions and procedures that are usually extremely difficult and exhausting for them. As the reader will see, ending a violent relationship does not mean the abuse ends—unfortunately, violence often continues, and sometimes it is even said to become worse, as the perpetrator begins to use all means and mechanisms to destroy the victim through institutions. If this is not recognized, and often it is not, the victim finds herself in a vortex of abuse, caused not only by the perpetrator but also by the system. Since we often ask ourselves what does not work in the system and what does, we decided to ask precisely those who have gone through this struggle.

The stories you will read vary in length, as the women interviewed are very different. We gave them space to say what they felt was important and as much as they wished to share. Some described their experiences in great detail on their own, others were prompted by follow-up questions, and some set boundaries beforehand, which we of course respected. Their boundaries were our main guide during the interviews.

Regardless of the length of the stories, we are convinced that all the stories are meaningful, powerful, and in some way inspiring.

Jasna Podreka, Mojca Suhovršnik, mag. and Maja Plaz