After managing to escape a series of attacks allegedly at the hands of her common-law husband, returning to her parents’ house and securing a restraining order, 23-year-old Manisha Persaud continues to live in fear.
Persaud shared an eight-year relationship with her partner and together, they have a five-month-old daughter.
During an interview with the News Room on Wednesday, Persaud said the alleged abuse started weeks after she moved in to live with the 29-year-old suspect in 2017 and it worsened over the years.
“He start being angry for simple things. He use to give like one slap, two slap and that’s it. Then he start to be more abusive, even in front his parents and they never use to do anything about it.
“He start using belt. He start using phone, plate, anything. Just throwing at me, kicking me in my head and stuff,” Persaud recalled.
She added, “Like if we having a simple conversation, he won’t just sit and talk about it. He is just going to get up, get angry, just pelt something at me and if he don’t have anything on him, he is just going to walk up to me and hit me in my face just like that.
Having endured severe abuse, Persaud said she attempted to end the relationship on numerous occasions but would end up returning following threats from the suspect to harm her and her family.
“Everything I move and come home….he keep coming, threatening me to go back. My father is a pensioner. I can’t do anything much…My baby is sick, she born with a lung infection. I can’t leave her and go work.
“Fearing now, I decide to go back because I can’t put them at harm because every time he would threaten to harm them and me,” Persaud told the News Room.
While she did not report the first attack, Persaud told the News Room that she has filed a series of reports against her alleged attacker but the legal system continues to fail her.
“Every time they (police) came, they put him on bail the next day and the matter don’t go to court,” she said.
After years, she said a restraining order was only issued against him on Wednesday, days after the latest attack when he allegedly showed up at her parents’ house, armed with a knife.
“The magistrate said he is not to come at my house unless he is invited,” Persaud said.
But despite this, Persaud said she does not feel any safer.
In fact, she told the News Room that the accused is now fighting for full custody of their daughter and she believes that he will follow through on his threats to end her life.
“One time he collected the baby and didn’t want to return the baby. I had to get the child care to assist me to get back the baby…Now, every time he threatening to harm the baby and me because he said the child care banned him from seeing the baby and I am not letting him get the baby,” Persaud said.
She is therefore calling on the relevant authorities to intervene and act swiftly on her reports.
“I am living every day in fear…I think we deserve justice, we deserve help.
“I don’t want to be a next statistic to lose my life due to domestic violence,” Persaud said.
I cannot understand how these situations are treated so lightly ! These offenders have to be thoroughly be investigated ,psycologically, psychiatrically and otherwise .
Reading the experience of this young woman and the history surrounding her life ,in my view this is adiquate for the law to intervene and have this man give an account for his present behaviour .