Domestic Violence Awareness Month

On October 1st in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Netflix released a mini-series titled Maid adapted from Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. The series focuses on a young single mother fleeing an abusive relationship. The protagonist, Alex, is desperate to provide a better life for her young daughter, Maddy.

The series begins with Alex waking up in the dead of night, silently putting on her clothes, her abuser lying next to her, breathing heavily. Alex carefully gets out of bed and puts on her clothes. She then walks over to her daughter’s room and begins packing. They make their way across the living room where you can see the remnants of the night before – shattered glass everywhere, punches in the wall, a living room in disarray. Alex lovingly puts Maddy in her car seat, softly kissing her forehead. As she begins to drive away, her abuser appears, banging on the hood of her car, screaming at her. Alex continues to drive.

Throughout the series, we witness all the ways Alex was controlled, from her finances to her relationship with friends and family, access to her phone, and most importantly access to her daughter. Often this is the raw reality for domestic violence survivors.

As the series delves deeper, Alex is continuously let down by everyone around her. From the government that is supposed to protect her, her friends who sympathize with her alcoholic abuser, her abusive absent father, her bipolar mother (whose instability adds further stress to Alex), and her employer who refuses to make any amendments for her sick child. Alex can’t seem to get ahead no matter how hard she works; the system breaks her down forcing her into a cycle of abuse.

At Mosaic Family Services, all too often we meet survivors like Alex.

However, the survivors at Mosaic often face additional barriers, including language, culture, and legal. For our survivors speaking up often means they become a social outcast. This is why we turn to our supporters. We need your help to show survivors that life outside of this cycle of abuse is possible. Please donate today in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and help us continue to serve survivors.

“In the beginning, there were so many times I would cry and wonder why and how I would do this without my abusive partner. I wanted to give up and run back to him but could never see myself doing that again. I want to thank my case manager and those at Mosaic. It wouldn’t have been possible to accomplish what I have without Mosaic’s assistance.” -Flor, a young mother who survived because of your support

Please give today to help mothers like Flor escapes the cycle of abuse. Just $25 allows a family to fulfill their grocery shopping list. You can break the cycle. Donate Here.