A video uploaded on YouTube featuring a survivor of domestic abuse, has revealed the true nature of living life with an abuser.

Jane’s story, which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_g1OSD45tg, shows the journey of one 17 year-old girl, who falls in love with an older man, who begins to manipulate and control her. He systematically isolates her from her family and friends, and when she becomes pregnant, she is unable to go to university. She endures sexual and emotional abuse from her fiancée. She said: “I was terrified and living in fear…I tried to build a home with our two children…but he kept knocking it down. To the outside world, our family looked perfect.”

Jane was physically and verbally abused by her partner until she left him to make a new life for herself and her children. She said: “I didn’t think anyone would believe me, but actually, I had lots of support. Domestic abuse will always be a part of my story, but now we can go anywhere and do anything.”

Another video, also featured prominently on the North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum website, tackles the subject of domestic abuse within the Nepali community.

The Nepali video, created by the Rushmoor Citizen Advice, is in Nepalese, with English subtitles, and follows a number of different familial scenarios, in which a woman is abused by her partner, a man is abused by his wife and a woman has her money taken by her father-in-law to pay for his gambling debts.

Karen Evans, of the North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum, said: “These two videos are an attempt to start everyone talking about domestic abuse, whether you are part of an English or a Nepali speaking community. “Jane’s story” shows her recognising that she was being manipulated and controlled and choosing to leave to find a better life for her family. The Nepali video is important because domestic abuse occurs in all communities but sometimes people who are being abused have language and cultural difficulties which can make it more difficult to know how to seek support and what to do next, and we want to address that. We want to bring these difficult subjects out in the open and talk about them freely.”

Cllr John Kennett, Chair of the Safer North Hampshire Partnership, said: “Domestic Abuse takes many forms and needs to be brought out more into the open, even in a community like ours. The North Hampshire Community Safety Partnership fully supports the valuable work that Karen does in this, and all the other ways which she organises her network of professionals and volunteers to lessen the prevalence of this cruel behaviour across the area.”

For Nepali domestic abuse information, click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U28Zta4iQQ.

Both videos are accessible through the North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum’s website – www.nehantsdvf.co.uk.