Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? What was the experience? What did you do to quit or mend the relationship?
An abusive relationship is where your partner does not respect who you are, does not respect your feelings and interests, does not care about you, exposes you to emotional and physical torture sometimes resulting to violence and injury or even death.
Monica Mungai, a relationship expert says that 40 percent of sexual relationships are abusive.
She notes that partners moreso women, don’t report when they are abused either emotionally or physically.
Mungai further says that many people stay in an abusive relationship with the hope that the man or woman will change someday.
She adds that many think getting out these relationships is the hardest thing to do.
However, Mungai states that it is good to always say enough is enough and quit an abusive relationship.
“If he or she does not respect you or your feelings then why waste time with him or her?"
Here are 5 steps on how to quit an abusive relationship:
1. Acknowledge there is a problem
Mungai says that the first step to moving out of an abusive relationship is acknowledging there is a problem.
She notes that many people fail to realize that they are being abused until when serious injuries or emotional abuse is inflicted on them.
2. Speak about it
After acknowledging their is a problem, they should speak about it. She observes that many people suffer in silence making it hard for them to get help.
You can talk to friends (trusted friends) about what you are going through or even talk to your family members.
You can also speak about the issue to your church pastor for help. In this case, ensure you disclose the real issues leading to your abuse by your partner.
3. Gather evidence about the abuse
You should gather the evidence on how your partner abuses you. You can secretly do this through video recording or sound tapping.
Mungai says that with evidence it is easier to get help.
4. Contact help
There are organizations that deal with gender violence issues for example FIDA. You can secretly contact them without your partner knowing and seek help.
If things are too bad then, the best organization to seek help from will be the police or other law enforcers.
5. Quit the relationship
Majority people are often reluctant to quit abusive relationships despite being emotionally or physically abused.
Mungai says that bad influence and friends are often the reason as to why people are adamant to quit. You should never look back when you decide to quit an abusive relationship.
After quitting the abusive relationship, take time to recover and assess yourself before getting into another relationship.