About Tsharna
Tsharna is an early educator working in the social services and education sector, and is also studying psychology, focusing on abuse and trauma.
Tsharna has had a lifetime of abusive relationship stemming all the way back to her childhood to her most recent separation to the father of her child; but she is a survivor and is ready to share her harrowing experiences to better educator others.
As a child, Tsharna suffered at the hands of a man who raised her under the torment of emotional, psychological, physical and sexual abuse – she grew into a young woman who had developed too much resilience in accepting toxic and abusive men and their relationships. It was her past that inspired Tsharna to study psychology and the effects of abuse and trauma, yet surprisingly, despite her training, Tsharna fell back into abusive patterns.
She met her recent abuser who had a unique form of control; coercion had become her new norm. Not being exposed to this type of abuse before blinded her to fall in love and for the first time commit herself in starting a family. It was during her pregnancy with her daughter that familiar abuse trickled in and like old friends she knew them well.
Tsharna, like many knew of coercive control but didn’t realise it had a name.
“During a moment of vulnerability, I found myself reaching out to a helpline for women who were trying to remove themselves from domestic abuse and violence.
It wasn’t until I was told by the receiver that, “this sounds more like a relationship problem with you then abuse” that I realised the services in Australia designed to give women the strength, support and advice to remove themselves from oppressing relationships can often be just as suppressing as the situation you fled from.”
Tsharna not only continues to receive abusive behaviour from her ex-partner, but she now faces the threat of systematic trauma from protective services who demonstrate inconsistent training across the sector as well as outdated laws from the legal system who are only now recognising coercive abuse as a criminal act and form of domestic violence and abuse while she fights to keep her child safe.
Tsharna raises her voice for unheard women in hopes that when her daughter becomes a woman, she will be part of a generation that has not only ensured women of abuse are provided the holistic support they need but that men, women and children are being educated on how to respond to abuse.
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