Andy's Story
Part 1 - The Letter
31/08/2007
It was midnight and Andy could not sleep. She tossed and turned and then she sat up in her bed, staring at the four corners of the wall. “Lord I’m so scared” she said, “I really hate the idea of going back into that 'court house' and re-living this nightmare. Is there no other way? I am so drained. I feel I cannot take much more of this.’ She wiped the tear that dropped on the paper, then the idea came to her and she wrote:
“Civil Affair”
She looked at the paper, tapping the pen on the writing pad, as she re-lived the scene in her head. Then she thought: “No one should have to 'put up' with a lifestyle like this. I need help. Maybe if the Ministry of National Security is aware that these things are still happening in our society then they will do something about it. I grew up watching this lifestyle and I am not about to walk in my mother's footsteps or any of those other women, for that matter. So many women out there without a voice. I will write this letter and let it be that voice." She had a sudden urge to write and so she began:
“Dear Minister Phillips,
Having read and seen results of the current upsurge of crime and violence in every print and electronic media and the negative impact it has on our society, it gives me the impetuous to personally write to you to ensure that this matter is not dealt with lightly and correct measures are put in place to prevent further damning effect on our society.”
She continued by explaining her present situation:
“My husband and I have been in and out of court since xxxx. I was in a position where I became fearful for both mine and my children’s life and due to his violent threats we are now (at the time of writing this letter) homeless and soon to be jobless as our second child is due to be born any time now and with no support I am left with no option but to give up my job towards the end of my maternity leave. Since the separation I have had nothing but threats from my soon to be ex-husband, coupled with disrespectful remarks about and towards me and my relatives – to the point where my father had to once get involve in reminding him of his place and my mother is angry with the whole situation. It is situations like this that fuels the energy behind domestic violence and towards some of the most horrific crimes that takes place here in
Andy made another heading on her writing pad:
"HELP!"
She then proceeded to say:
“We need help and not for someone to treat this request lightly..."
All her frustration of wasted visits to her local police station came to the surface at this point. She paused for a moment then gathered her thoughts and started to write again:
" I have tried talking to the Xxxxxx Police in whose area this matter/problem arose and it’s just taken lightly. Now this is really serious and I don’t want to be the next victim before help comes, when it will be too late. My situation is not an isolated one. Too often we are reminded by the media of these events. We need to put a stop to it.”
Andy was so overwhelmed at this point, her teary eyes could no longer see to write. She left the writing and cried herself to sleep.
***End of Part 1***
Notes: Names of people have been changed to protect identity. Likewise the date and the name of the police station are represented by X's.
Please Join us next month for the continuation of this story. In part 2 of Andy's Story, we begin the journey of finding out how Andy got to this junction of her life.
You can discuss any of the issues in this story on the discussion forum.
A discussion on Domestic Violence
The story is about Andy's life. However, we are aware that there are men who are also suffering from this evil (many of whom are suffering in silence) and we believe that if each of us play our small part, we can help to make a big difference. Andy has chosen to use W2S as a forum to bring the issue of 'Domestic Violence' in Jamaica, to light. She sent us a letter which we have developed in a story form for you.
Write 2 Shine (W2S) and Andy have been looking at different ways in which we can educate others on this subject and will share this with you as it develops. See the ideas highlighted so far in the article 'A Discussion on Domestic Violence' that have developed from this story. Please introduce it to your respective community groups and also share the link with others who could benefit from it.
Let us educate each other and make a difference within our community. 'It only takes a spark, to get the fire going...' Help to build a better future for the next generation.
