Spousal Abuse & Divorce - Harrowing & Inspiring Stories of Courage

In this episode of Was Justice Delivered? Dror Bikel is joined by two incredible women who share their harrowing and inspiring stories of courage. Survivors of terrible emotional abuse and physical violence perpetrated by their husbands, these strong and fierce survivors discuss how they met their abusers, red flags during dating, initial acts of domestic violence, subtle progression of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, neglect, coercive control, financial control, isolation from family and friends, abuser excuses, denial and acceptance, deciding to leave, the legal process, protecting the children, advice for abuse victims, and more.

Timestamps
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:56) Introducing the Survivors
(00:01:23) Loving Family, Abusive Culture
(00:03:02) We Met in Highschool
(00:03:26) Coming to America
(00:03:47) Married at 26
(00:04:14) Red Flags of Abuse
(00:05:26) Love Can Change Him
(00:05:51) Controlling My Appearance
(00:07:47) Slow Rise of Verbal Abuse
(00:09:19) Start of Physical Violence
(00:10:30) Exerting Control
(00:11:26) The Wedding Day
(00:12:46) Happy Moments, Then Fear
(00:15:41) It Was an Accident
(00:17:24) The Perfect Couple
(00:18:00) The First Physical Act
(00:20:00) How I Met My Abuser
(00:21:46) Moving in Together
(00:22:54) Subtle Isolation
(00:24:47) Disrespectful Behavior
(00:25:33) Cruelty to Pets
(00:27:16) His Traumatic Past
(00:27:55) The Rehearsal Dinner
(00:28:34) Using Neglect
(00:29:06) Therapy Can Solve It
(00:29:40) A Beautiful Wedding
(00:29:58) Alienating Friends and Family
(00:31:04) Physical Abuse During Pregnancy
(00:33:16) Manipulating the Environment
(00:34:08) Financial Control
(00:35:38) Neglect After Childbirth
(00:35:53) Violent Sexual Interests
(00:37:53) Deciding to Leave My Abuser
(00:46:48) Surviving the Legal Process
(00:50:09) Protecting the Children
(00:54:56) Flaws in the System
(00:59:24) False Hope for Change
(01:02:39) Why Spouse Denies Abuse
(01:05:59) Advice for Abuse Victims
(01:09:26) Was Justice Delivered?
(01:10:11) Outro

Trigger Warning: The first season of Was Justice Delivered? dive into the legal and personal side of domestic violence. If you are in immediate danger please contact the national domestic violence hotline at 800-7999-7233.

Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: [phone]-SAFE (7233)
For the full episode show notes, visit drorbikel.com/podcast.
Discover Dror’s books: drorbikel.com/books.
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Learn more on Dror’s Blog: drorbikel.com/blog.

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