The abuse began suddenly between my husband and me.

 

The more and more he drunk, the more violent he would get. What started out as him calling me degrading names eventually became him violently slapping and punching me.

 

And then raping me. I felt that I had no choice but to endure this hell as he constantly threatened to have me deported if I did not follow his wishes. 

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As time progressed, he became more and more violent. He would threaten to chop me into little pieces and keep me in the refrigerator so I was with him forever. When I would protest, he threatened to have my children in Honduras killed. I feared for my safety and the safety of my children.

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Fearing for my life, my friend encouraged me to file a police report of sexual abuse. When the police called to follow up, I declined speaking to them because I was scared my husband would kill me when he found out. 

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However, I realized I could not keep living like this. Things reached a boiling point, when he came home aggravated and drunk while I was cooking one day. I tried to ignore him but that seemed to further aggravate him. He began yelling obscenities and grabbed me and threw me to the wall.

 

He finally stopped beating me long enough for me to escape to my neighbor’s house and call the police. He was arrested.

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That night, I came into contact with BPSOS – Houston. The victim advocate listened to my story and helped ask for an injunction so that my husband could not come near me anymore. BPSOS – Houston, also gave me free legal services that allowed me to gain a U-Visa and have my green card request accepted.

 

After years of uncertainty and fear, I am finally able to breathe again.