Reaching Out For Domestic Abuse
The 2018 Crime Survey of England and Wales reports than an estimated 1.2 million women experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2017. In addition, an estimated 4.3 million women aged 16-59 have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16. One woman working to tackle this, is award winning author Pamela Haynes.
In her debut novel ‘Loving The Brothers,’ Pamela, 50, writes about three very different women who plot to leave their abusive relationships on the same day. Through this powerful story, Pamela wants to raise awareness of domestic abuse and show that abuse can take many forms and effect all types of women regardless of age, profession or class. She wants all of us whether we are work colleagues, friends or relatives to take notice and reach out if we suspect someone is being abused.
The central characters in Pamela’s book are: - Patti who is a busy Senior Probation Officer working in Camden London with a teenager who’s off to university, Charmaine a stressed-out mum of twins and Rose, a Pastor’s wife with five daughters. Life gets complicated for these women, when they meet and marry three brothers, Manley, Marcus and Junior Morgan who are from a close-knit Jamaican family.
Pamela has worked with victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse for many years, but emphasises that this is a fictional story, ‘Through my work (in the Criminal Justice System) I have been privileged to hear many real accounts from both sides about this topic, but the book is purely fiction. I believe however that the story is told with a real understanding of the many complex issues involved. I have seen how men use domestic abuse as a way to exert power and control in relationships. This can be in intimate partnerships, in elderly abuse situations and child abuse. The aspect I want to shine a light on is domestic abuse from a female’s point of view. Love and relationships are not supposed to hurt or be painful. There is no place for violence in a loving relationship. Every circumstance is different though and different women need different outcomes and support when they are in this situation. The challenges in each case, can be very varied’
Pamela has had the idea for the book for many years but started to write in a disciplined way after meeting Marcia Spence from Marcia M Publishing House. ‘Writing can be challenging, especially when you are working around family life,’ says Pamela who still lives in the East End of London which is where she grew up. ‘I really wanted to get my book published before my milestone birthday and I did this with two months to spare. I’m already working on a sequel ‘Loving The Sisters’ and plan to complete the trilogy. I feel so passionate about this topic!’
She is keen to encourage other writers, particularly Black British Women and urges them, ‘just make a start, write something.’ Many people have commented on the readability of ‘Loving The Brothers,’ Pamela has achieved this by using a larger font type and a simple structure for the book. She is now receiving messages from across the globe from readers who have enjoyed it and want to know when the sequel is coming out and from those who have connected with the topic of abuse and are looking for support. Pamela has also recently received the prestigious Author of the Year Award from Powerhouse Global.
Loving The Brothers is available from Amazon and Pamela is keen to speak to groups about domestic abuse and to take part in related projects including helping to educate girls and young women about the importance of good self- esteem and healthy relationships.