A survivor of domestic violence has given hope to thousands of victims all over the world with the publication of an inspirational new book.
Eve Thomas (44), from Bolton, stands at just 4 feet 10 inches tall but her small physique hides an impressively brave and determined persona that looks set to help many thousands of victims of domestic violence both in the UK and abroad.
The book, 50 Shades of Abuse by One Voice is a collection of true stories penned by victims and survivors of domestic violence. Each story is written from the heart and has been left unedited to convey the raw feelings and pain of the contributor.
The book certainly isn’t for the faint hearted, from emotional abuse to rape, One Voice enables the victims story’s to be heard by a global audience and helps them to start the long road back to leading a violence-free life away from their abusers.
Eve, an ex social worker and psychiatric nurse was abused by her violent husband from an early stage of their relationship. She endured more than 21 years of physical and emotional abuse before finding the courage to escape from her abuser. Now, the legacy of that dark period in her life has left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and physical problems with her back and spine.
“When I was just starting to get my life back, I began to write about my experiences and found it to be very therapeutic. It was like losing myself in another (safe) world where no one could harm me. It helped me to come to terms with the terrible things that my family and I had endured.
“ Another victim of domestic violence asked me to read her story and I realised then that this was a way for victims and survivors to reach out to the world and help each other deal with this appalling and life destroying behaviour.”
Sadly, Eve’s story is by no means unusual as recent figures produced by “women’s aid” show. It is estimated that one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence sometime in their lifetime. Incredibly, one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute and on average, a current or former male partner kills two women a week.
One survivor who features in the book is Marie Knightly who was abused for more than two decades.
“Eve and Fifty Shades of Abuse have given me a voice to speak out the truth. It’s enabled me to raise awareness and to give hope to others that you can escape and survive domestic violence.
“It has been an honour to be part of One Voice and I and thousands of other women all over the world are grateful for Eve’s work and understanding of our situation.”
Eve is now in the process of setting up her own charity which will offer support, guidance and practical help to victims, survivors and caring agencies such as Samaritans and Social Services. Indeed, she is already working closely with Police Forces in Lancashire and Scotland to assist with the processes involved in dealing with violent abusers and their victims.
Eve has pledged to help around 40 charities by donating the profits from One Voice so that some good will come from the suffering of the victims who have volunteered their heartfelt stories for the benefit of others.
“ We have many charities at home and abroad that will benefit from sales of the book,” she said. “ This is only the start and I will be fighting and campaigning to eradicate abuse in all of its forms over the coming months and years.”
Fifty Shades of Abuse One Voice is available from Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Shades-Of-Abuse-OneVoice/dp/1482592738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369394996&sr=8-1&keywords=fifty+shades+of+abuse
ENDS
Photo shows: Eve Thomas with the book
More information from Keith Newman Highlights PR 07814 397951