DETROIT – Elle Travis, a survivor of domestic violence and rape, shares her story to illuminate systemic failures in how victims, particularly women of color, are treated.
“I’m also a survivor of domestic violence. So I was 17 years old when I met my abuser, and they don’t start off as abusive,” Travis recalled.
Despite facing stigma and neglect, including unprocessed rape kits, Travis advocates for change by speaking out and working to improve laws and support systems for survivors.
Read: Meet the women helping others Live Without Fear
“I was stereotyped and stigmatized as, ‘Oh, you‘re not going to do anything, you’re going to go back, you’re this and that,’“ Travis said. ”And I still fell through the gaps of care and service. So HAVEN is important because they help make sure that people like me don’t keep falling through the gaps."
More: Why HAVEN is so important to Metro Detroit
Travis said survivors of abuse need validation and to be heard in order to be healed.
She was sexually assaulted by someone she knew and said police blamed her for the assault, calling her a sex worker and a liar.
That was the first time she was raped. The second time was outside of an elementary school. In both cases, a rape kit was done, but they sat on a shelf for years without being touched.
Travis wants her story to be told to change laws, hold others accountable and provide help to victims.
“You don’t know what you would do until you’re in that moment, and you should not judge others,” Travis said. “There are only three real responses: fight, flight or freeze. So there there are no other alternatives.”
She said everyone has a different response to trauma and that the response to trauma at HAVEN is exactly what victims need.
It’s the county’s only 24-hour emergency shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their children. The nonprofit provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and educational programs to nearly 30,000 people each year, helping people across Metro Detroit.
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