Voices Unhidden: Amplifying Survivor Stories

My Story - From Abuse To Advocacy

My story did not begin gently.

I grew up witnessing and enduring domestic violence—learning early what fear felt like inside a home that was meant to be safe. I was harmed by the adults meant to protect me, and outside those walls, I was bullied relentlessly. There was no rescue. No intervention. Just endurance.

When I became an adult, the abuse didn’t disappear—it changed hands. I found myself trapped in a long-term domestic violence relationship. I was deeply broken, convinced that escape was impossible, that this was simply the shape my life would always take.

Until the night everything changed.

My son stood up to his father.

In that moment, instinct overtook fear. I put my body between them without hesitation. I didn’t care what happened to me—I would not let harm reach my child. And standing there, protecting him, I knew with absolute clarity: we were leaving, and we were never coming back.

Because of what I endured, justice and accountability became more than ideals—they became necessities. For a long time, they were absent from my life.

Online, I saw the same cycles of abuse I once endured reappearing in a new form. Cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and digital harassment are rampant—affecting adults just as deeply as children. I watched friends suffer in silence as fear replaced confidence, anxiety replaced peace, and isolation replaced joy.

Witnessing this brought back painful memories and emotions from my own life. Inaction was not an option—I had to act.

That is why I co-founded Voices Unhidden—to provide resources for those seeking justice and accountability, to raise awareness about this epidemic, and to amplify the voices of those who were taught to shrink, to stay quiet, to disappear.

You don’t have to hide anymore.

You are seen. You are heard. You are not alone.

My Story: Accountability, Reflection, and Change

I am a survivor of severe and long-term domestic violence, and my lived experience has shaped how I understand harm, power, and the consequences of silence — both online and off.

After leaving an abusive relationship, I became increasingly aware of how harm can persist beyond physical spaces and into digital ones. I witnessed firsthand how misinformation, group dynamics, and unchecked narratives can escalate quickly, especially when people believe they are acting in the name of protection or justice.

During that time, I participated in online spaces without having the full context of what was occurring. My actions contributed to harm, something I take responsibility for. When I learned more and recognized the impact, I chose to stop, speak directly, and engage in honest self-evaluation.

The legal consequences I experienced occurred during the period when I was participating in that harm — not as a result of accountability or reconciliation. What followed was a process of reflection, responsibility, and intentional work to repair what could be repaired, including direct efforts toward understanding and healing with those affected.

That experience reshaped how I understand accountability — not as punishment, but as responsibility, learning, and change. It also reinforced a truth that many survivors and advocates recognize: harm escalates when systems reward silence, simplification, or groupthink instead of truth and context.

Today, my work is grounded in education, reflection, and survivor-centered advocacy. I am committed to supporting efforts that make patterns of digital harm visible and understandable, without retaliation, sensationalism, or exploitation.

My role within Voices Unhidden is rooted in lived experience, ethical boundaries, and a belief that real change requires honesty — including when it is uncomfortable.

Voices Unhidden exists because silence has been mistaken for safety — and blocking has been mistaken for protection.

Across platforms and across states, people experiencing online harassment, cyberstalking and cyberbullying are told to block, report, and move on. But for many survivors, the abuse doesn’t stop. It escalates. New accounts appear. Third parties get involved. Reputations are attacked. Livelihoods are affected. Fear becomes normalized.

Voices Unhidden was created to say what too many systems still won’t:

Online harassment causes real harm — and survivors deserve real protection.

We are a survivor-led advocacy initiative focused on education, accountability, and reform. We work to make patterns of digital abuse visible, understandable, and actionable — not minimized or dismissed.

Our mission is simple but urgent:

• To amplify survivor voices without exploitation or sensationalism
• To educate the public, lawmakers, and law enforcement on how online abuse actually operates
• To support meaningful legal and cultural change so “block and report” is no longer the end of the conversation

Voices Unhidden is not about outrage.

It is about truth, dignity, and change.