Dawn is from South Africa. She grew up watching her father beat her mother and went on to live in abusive relationships herself for many years. After finally fighting back against her husband, she understood that she didn’t want the kind of power he had been wielding over her. She left him and sought help with substance abuse recovery.
Both she and her mother are content to be on their own, free from abuse.
Note: This story contains explicit content and is recommended for mature viewers age 14 and up.
Key points to consider in viewing Dawn’s story
People very often blame women for staying in abusive relationships rather than questioning why men abuse them in the first place. Some viewers may feel that Dawn should have left her husband sooner or that the violence was her fault because she chose abusive men as her partners. Consider how you can challenge this kind of victim blaming, reflect on how cycles of abuse and poverty make women vulnerable, and celebrate Dawn’s eventual escape from abuse.