LPT: If you saw someone in public who is clearly a victim of domestic abuse, trust your instincts. If you heard it, don’t ignore it.

Once, I saw a woman with what looked like broken ribs. She was walking on the beach with her partner who had an awful look on his face. They were having a heated conversation, he kept his voice low. I knew something felt off, but I didn’t intervene, because I didn’t know how to. <br><br>Then, I saw another women who I’m sure was in a similar situation. She was laying in the chair next to her partner on the plane. She clears her sinuses a lot, then she throws up into her flight bag. Her partner was pissed off and started screaming at her, but kept his voice quiet enough that the flight attendants didn’t notice. I was 12 at the time, so I didn’t know what to do. <br><br>Then, I was about 14 when I saw a man pushing his girlfriend around. He was screaming at her, she was clearly terrified and trying to get away. No one else did anything. I told him to fuck off, and he told me to mind my own business. This wasn’t a big deal to a man, but it was to me. For years I’ve wondered if women I’ve seen in my life were okay, because I didn’t do anything. <br><br>There have been plenty of other instances where I didn’t help, but I ended up helping someone recently. I was walking down the street, music playing and mind on other things. Two people fight right next to me, I couldn’t see because my ears were in. I pull out my headphones thinking it was some rowdy kids, but a woman and a man were fighting. That man grab the woman by the hair and slammed her into the side of a van. I was frozen, but a guy next to me yelled at the man to stop. I didn’t do anything initially, but started talking to the woman later. I ended up calling the police and standing with her for an hour until they arrived. I gave her my number and heard back from her a few days ago. She escaped that abusive relationship and is now back with her family. I got to reconnect the woman with her parents, who haven’t seen her in a few years, and she got her life back together. It’s funny how life goes in circles, huh? <br><br>If you see something, say something. <br><br>EDIT: Thanks for the gold and kind words :) <br><br>I understand that this sub is called LifeProTips, but the story is necessary to convey the severity of the issue. I felt like my past experiences would help you sympathize with the victims, and hopefully sympathize enough to be brave.