The lasting effects of domestic violence and abuse are not always black and white. As I'm learning to accept the harshness that was my reality, better understand the ways in which the abuse I endured have shaped the person I am, and am growing into the person I was meant to be - I'm realizing that this struggle is long, hard, and lonely. That the world - society - pushes against survivors as we strive to take our lives and freedoms back. We are brushed under the rug and, as I have recently experienced, not always seen or heard when we should be. Law does not protect us, or assist us in protecting our children. And many of the people we look to for support turn their heads the other way