A mum has praised a Teesside charity for helping her to escape emotional abuse during the coronavirus lockdown.
The woman, who does not want to be named, said her husband would shout, scream and swear at her on a daily basis.
The mum-of-two said she was left feeling so scared and down that she would cry herself to sleep every night.
She rang The Halo Project in Middlesbrough for help and they gave her support during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Their service gave her the strength to leave and start a new life with her children.
The woman, in her 20s, said: “At the beginning it was a love story then he started shouting at me and swearing at me.
“There was no respect at all. When there’s no respect it’s not love.
“He started shouting in front of the kids.
“When I went out with my friends he kept ringing me saying ‘come back, come back’
“When I came back he would ask where did you go or why did you go shopping.
“He complained about everything I did.
“He didn’t care about my feelings.
“I was really down, I was looking at my life and how it was before.
“I didn’t know what to do. Every time I went to bed I would cry and cry.”
The woman said she discovered The Halo Project while searching the internet for local services.
She said she contacted them because she didn’t want her children to grow up in that environment.
The woman said the charity supported her through the lockdown and helped her to become independent
She said: “I was really down and I needed someone to help me – to push me, to show me and advise me.
“It was really hard in the house. I was stuck in and I had to stay in during the evening.
“I couldn’t make danger for my kids – I had to wait until lockdown became easier.
“I talked to Halo during the lockdown. They were telling me what to do and were in contact through the phone.
“They offered me refuge but because of lockdown it would be too hard.
“I managed to find a place and they helped me to get my benefits from the government.
“Halo are still helping me everyday.
“Now I’m an independent woman with two kids. I feel better in myself.
“There’s no shouting, no swearing, just a normal life.”
The Halo Project provides support and, where necessary, intervention to protect those on Teesside at risk of honour-based violence and forced marriage.
