Mo is an elderly straight male who had been the victim of serious domestic abuse over a period of 40 years. The abuse was physical, emotional, financial and coercive, leaving him feeling severely stressed and traumatised. Mo was also the primary carer for his children, who had additional needs.
Due to his cultural and ethnic background, Mo believed it was impossible to disclose his abuse to his wider family or to the community as he would be, “considered weak”. Our FearFree worker steered Mo through a risk assessment to help identify priority needs and develop a clear safety plan that would help him to stay safe.
FearFree worked hard to create a safe space for Mo, so that trust could be built and he was able to begin to identify realistic and achievable goals for himself. As his confidence grew Mo was finally able to open up fully about the severity of the abuse he had experienced and how it was affecting his two sons. We supported him to speak with trusted members of his community and ask for their support. We also helped him to contact housing support as part of a structured plan to leave his abusive partner. FearFree continue to support Mo on his journey towards independence and happiness.
Mo now lives in his own home with his children and he recently told us how much he enjoys living his life, free from the fear and anxiety of abuse.