Tender

“Abuse grows where love once could have. Interpersonal violence is a double-edged sword. And this, this tense and dangerous phenomenon, makes any sort of court proceeding incredibly hard. A webbed thing. The end, or so it seems, of a terrible, loveless promise.”

In episode 5 Hungry and Holy, Roia tackles the criminal justice system head on as she faces her abuser in the courtroom. In a bid to protect himself, he uses his faith to di...

“Working in the sector, and simultaneously existing as a survivor, means being looked at: being perceived, even if the woman on the other end of the line, or sitting before you, isn’t aware of your past. It means being an image of recovery, whether that image feels fully-formed or not.”

In episode 4 An Image of Recovery, Roia establishes a career in the family violence sector. Confronted by one particular client’s story and the way ...

“Over the span of my life, I had to get my nose re-pierced five times. It was a no-brainer: I was obviously going to do it. And, in a way, there was something quite powerful and commanding about my body’s insistence when it came to healing itself. Just this time, they were my wounds: and the sort that allowed me to bedazzle myself, time and time again, bleeding but adorned.”

In episode 3 Bleeding but Adorned, Roia delights in all of...

“Given the way my burns creeped over my neck and side, it meant I physically wasn’t able to move in certain ways. I was a walking, talking, breathing conundrum of sorts: presented with this hopeful newfound agency having just left my abuser, but still restricted entirely by his doing, a prisoner in my body.”

In episode 2 Twice Over, Roia moves to Melbourne, where she lives with her children and her family. Despite leaving her now ex...

What does leaving actually look like? What does it mean for a space to become yours? Like, really, truly become yours?

For Roia Atmar, it began in a burns unit in a Perth hospital during the summer of 1998. After a brutal domestic assault from her then husband, the shy 20-year-old had never ventured out of the suburban home she shared with her partner’s family… at least since arriving in Australia from Pakistan six years prior as a...

What does my ‘after’ look like? How did my story begin? 

Tender is a thoughtful podcast series about what happens when women leave abusive relationships.

The first season of Tender followed Madison’s journey of self-discovery and growth after an abusive relationship, zooming in on the small, soft details. Tender started where the story seemingly ends, at least in how domestic abuse narratives are often conveyed.

It has been two years,...