FROM ANONYMOUS IN SALT LAKE COUNTY

Dear Utah,

I am a lifetime survivor of multi-generational domestic violence and interpersonal violence, and this lived experience is what drove me to reach my career goal of becoming a victim services social worker. I am currently a case manager at a domestic violence shelter and have worked for this agency for almost 2 years. Something that I didn't realize until I started working here is how much of a factor substance abuse is in relationships and how common it is for people whose partners are in active addiction to experience domestic violence. I wish Utahns knew how harmful and dangerous coercive control and psychological abuse can be, and that it does cause long-term physiological harm. I wish that people knew that psychological violence can also land someone in the hospital fighting for their life.  I wish that people knew that domestic violence is more complex than just good and evil, perpetrator and victim. I wish that Utahns understood the need for legal protections against psychological violence and coercive control.