The Twitter hashtag #WhyIStayed is a must read (trigger warning)

[KitSileya]

3. These guys are seriously obsessive.

They are damaged in a way that our society doesn't recognize as damaged. Our society recognizes most of their behavior as romantic - the jealousy, the wanting to keep her to themselves, him wanting to control her career/social life/how she dresses/how she behaves.... Even if he gets violent, it oftentimes excused with him being passionate, that he "loves her too much". How many movies don't we see abusive behavior by men rewarded by him "getting the girl" (as if she were an object given away as a prize.)

Our society condones violence, and would much rather ask the victim why she stays, than ask why the abuser has a plethora of supporters. They don't want to acknowledge the fact that a lot of women are killed as they try to leave - and often their family and their children are killed too.

I am happy that you got out, TBF. The girl next door to me, a young college student, dropped out of school and moved away at the end of the spring term. She lost a school year, moved away from all her friends, got an unlisted phone number, and generally had to turn her life upside down because the shithead who ran her bible group decided she was his, and nobody else could have her. But she was lucky. Her family believed her. Our landlord believed her. Some of her friends believed her. And that is very often not the case.