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Survivors of Abuse Speak Out
Article published Oct 5, 2006
By TaMaryn Waters , DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
The type of clotheslines that normally would be used to dry garments were used to dangle hope for
victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Large oak trees at Lake Ella were used to display T-shirts of all sizes emblazoned with
hand-painted messages during a "Speak Out" and candlelight vigil Wednesday evening. The
event was hosted by Refuge House, which provides emergency shelter for abused women and
their children.
The picnic setting of the event allowed children to eat hot dogs and chips while their
parents mingled with other attendees.
Although there weren't many actual survivors who wanted to share their story publicly,
a few did. One woman remembered being hogtied and trampled and fearing for her life.
Another woman said she escaped her abusive marriage and was able to save her life, along
with her children.
"For many victims, they come to us first needing to find a place where they can safely
hide," said Meg Baldwin, executive director of Refuge House. "We honor those that needed
to be invisible and hide."
Last year, the agency provided shelter for 557 women and children and answered 3,040
hot-line calls in Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and
Wakulla counties.
She said it's not easy for a woman who has been abused to stand in front of strangers
and reveal her emotional wounds.
"For someone to come to this point of recovery and healing ... that represents a long
journey," Baldwin said.
Keynote speaker Cassie Hammock said she was able to claim her destiny because she first
decided she needed to rewire the way she thought about life.
"I want to challenge each of you to turn to the next phase of survival in your life,"
said the 61-year-old Hammock, executive director of the Frenchtown Outreach Center
on Brevard Street.
She told the audience about her former heroin addiction; she has been clean for 35
years. Then she talked about the abusive men in her life and remembered the many times
a gun had been pointed at her temple.
"We should never have to live in fear," Hammock said. "Give yourself permission to live
another level of survival."
She went on to say, "I had to build my self-worth where there was none, and it took me
35 years to get here."
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the Refuge
House hot line at 681-2111 or (800) 500-1119. The hot line for Madison and Taylor counties
is (850) 584-8804. Collect calls are accepted.
Contact reporter TaMaryn Waters at (850) 599-2162 or tlwaters@tallahassee.com
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