Abuse cannot be measured. It is never “just a little.” It does not matter if no limbs were broken, no bones shattered, no weapons used — the harm is real.

Time does not lessen its impact. Abuse experienced over thirty years is no less valid than abuse over one week. The duration, frequency, or intensity does not make it smaller, or easier to dismiss.

The legal system can only act when there is clear evidence. Yet for many survivors, abuse has been hidden — often over decades and across multiple relationships. The patterns, the control, the manipulation — they accumulate quietly, invisibly, until the effects are profound.

Abuse is abuse. It must be acknowledged, spoken about, and exposed if it is ever going to stop. Silence protects the abuser; speaking out protects the survivor and signals to others that harm will not be ignored.