It’s good to see that some media outlets have stopped covering Billy Joel’s marriage and Rachel Dolezal’s madness long enough to address real stories, such as the international injustice of domestic violence:
She is usually posting images of her healthy tuna salad or morning workouts.
But health and fitness blogger Emma Murphy had something more important to share with her Facebook followers on Tuesday.
The mother-of-two, from Dublin, Ireland, uploaded a shocking, five-minute video of herself with a black eye, alleging that her partner of 3½ years punched her last week when she confronted him about cheating on her…
Ms Murphy, 26, cried as she recounted going into early labour last year due to the stress of finding out her partner had cheated on her and impregnated another woman.
She forgave him, but she discovered last week that he was cheating on her again.
When she confronted him and threw his phone, he punched her in the face, she said.
She said there had been other times when he had punched her, including one incident in public that caused her head to split open…
She implored other women to leave violent relationships, especially if children are involved. She said her 18-month-old son was in the car during one incident.
I can’t watch Murphy’s testimony without coming to tears. The first time I watched it, I couldn’t help thinking of all the women who didn’t live to tell of the abuse they had suffered at the hands of their partners, the voices that have been stilled by violence, the cemeteries filled with the bodies of women murdered at the hands of vicious boyfriends and husbands.
As I watched, it occurred to me that social media can save lives. I hope that Murphy’s testimony can inspire other victims of domestic violence to use today’s technology to speak out, to get help, to raise awareness, to survive.
Just as I cannot fathom the level of cruelty it takes for a man to raise a hand to a woman, I cannot fathom the level of courage it takes to do what this brave young lady did. I want to thank Emma Murphy for coming forward to put a stop to behavior that is brutal and backward. This injustice must end. This violence must stop. This misogyny must cease…and around the world, our laws and our media must recognize that fact at long last.
UPDATE: More from the Irish Independent.
SECOND UPDATE: Still more from the Irish Independent.
THIRD UPDATE: Dublin, Ireland’s 98FM interviews Emma Murphy.
