CCChat-Magazine_Issue-16

" they were telling me that they advise their clients, when they’re going to court
about custody, to not mention domestic violence in their court case as it would be
detrimental towards them."
Rachel Meyrick
R: I went back the next day to say goodbye to
the shelter and they told me that Misty had
come back to the shelter and they had taken
the baby away because they had deemed her
not to be a suitable person to be bringing up
a baby because she was in a shelter.
I vomited.I was so outraged. And then I had
to get on a plane and I was just raging all the
way home just thinking what can I do? What
can I do? This was so outrageous. And she
was just the most amazing, incredible strong
woman who had managed to get away from
her abuser. It was so disgusting. I then
decided I was going to use my ability – I have
limited abilities but one of my abilities is to
tell stories with film and so I thought, right,
I’m going to tell the story of what happened
to her and I’m going to find out why this is
happening . So that was how it began.
M: That's just unbelievable, but then it's not.
And it happens more than you'd think.
I hear this a lot, and I’ve certainly
experienced it myself, this idea that you
don’t mention abuse otherwise you might
lose the children. Why do you think,
mainly women are advised that? I’ve
always asked but I’ve never had a decent
answer.
R: I know, that is the problem. I spent 6
years making the film trying to find the
answer to that. There’s such a hugely
diverse amount of answers to that
question. I think the way people look at
survivors of abuse is wrong. I think
they’re looked at as weak and they’re not
valued humans. I don’t think they’re
given the same rights as normal people in
the world. They’re looked at in a different
way with such loaded views they can’t
escape from, no matter what they try to
do to overcome it.
Making The Invisible Visible