LIVING IN A ABUSIVE HOUSE WHAT DO I DO?
I was born in Haiti and grew up with my mom, dad, and my four siblings. When I was nine years old, one of my cousins decided that she wanted to raise me as her own child. She was living in America, and my parents believed that coming to the United States would give me a better future and more opportunities. They trusted her, so they allowed me to come to America with her.
When I first came here, she already had three young children. At first, I understood that I would have to help around the house and help take care of the kids because they were young. But after a while, it started to feel like I was doing everything. I was cleaning, taking care of the children, and doing most of the housework. I felt more like a maid than a family member.
Things became worse after I told her children that I had a biological mother and that she wasn't actually my mom. After that, her attitude toward me changed. She started hitting me whenever she was angry with me or didn't like something I did.
At first, I didn't really understand that I was being abused. Growing up in Haiti, my parents sometimes physically punished me, so I thought maybe this was just how she disciplined me too. But as time went on, she started hitting me more and more. She would also insult me, make me do excessive amounts of chores, and treat me differently from her own children.
When I got my first phone, I was really happy because I finally had a way to talk to my friends, my parents, and my siblings back in Haiti. I started telling people I trusted about what was happening at home. My cousin and her husband would go through my phone and read my private messages. Whenever they found out that I had told someone about how they treated me, they would get angry and treat me even worse.
One Thanksgiving, something happened that I still remember very clearly. My cousin's husband called me into a room because he wanted me to get something for him. When I came into the room, my cousin took off my hoodie. I was confused, so I put it back on. She immediately grabbed me by my hair and started punching and hitting me.
I tried to get her hands off me because I was tired of being hit. I looked at her husband because I thought he would help me, but he didn't. He just told me, "That's how she is."
After I got away, I went somewhere quiet and called one of my friends. I told her what had happened, and she told me that I should call the police. I was scared to do that. I didn't know what would happen to me if I called the police because I didn't have any other family in America. My parents and siblings were still in Haiti, and I was afraid that reporting my cousin would somehow make everything worse.
After I finished talking to my friend, her husband came into my room. I realized that he had been listening to my conversation. He took my phone, called my friend, and put my cousin on the phone so she could yell at and insult her. They then went through my phone and read messages where I had talked about how angry and hurt I was. They took my phone away from me. I had only had it for about two months.
I felt completely alone after that. I went into my room, locked the door, and used my school Chromebook to contact my teacher. I told her that I needed to speak with a social worker.
Unfortunately, my school account was connected to my phone, and they found out what I had written. My cousin came into my room and started telling me that she wished I would die and that she hoped I would get hit by a car. She then started punching me and pulling my hair. She pulled my hair so hard that I ended up with a bald spot.
A few days later, I went back to school. My teacher noticed what was happening and helped me speak with the school psychiatrist. I finally told her everything. I told her that I didn't want to go home because I was scared of what would happen to me.
The school psychiatrist helped me find a shelter where I could stay for two months. Those two months were honestly some of the best months I had experienced since coming to America. I was away from the people who were hurting me. I didn't have to constantly worry about being yelled at or hit, and I started doing better in school.
But after those two months, I had to go back to the house.
When I returned, the arguments, insults, and threats started again. I became extremely depressed and stopped going to school. I missed my exams and eventually failed my sophomore year because I wasn't attending. I didn't want to do anything anymore. I stayed in my room most of the time because I didn't want to see or talk to anyone in the house.
There were times when I went more than four days without eating because I didn't want to leave my room. I felt like I had completely lost control of my life. I even started questioning my faith and asking myself why God would allow me to go through all of this.
During the summer, things got even harder. Sometimes my cousin would leave the house with her children and there would be little or no food for me. Thankfully, someone who rented a room in the house was kind enough to help me. I would sometimes wait several days before asking them for food because I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of their kindness. That person eventually bought me a phone, and I am extremely grateful for that. I have to keep it hidden because I'm afraid of what my cousin and her husband would do if they found it.
Now that school is starting again, I'm worried because I don't have what I need. My clothes are old, stained, and torn, and I haven't gotten new clothes in years. My backpack is also ripped and worn out. What hurts the most is that my cousin and her husband have enough money to buy expensive things for their own children, but they don't provide me with basic things that I need.
Even after everything that has happened, I still want to go to school. I don't want to give up on my education or my future. I already lost my sophomore year because of everything that was happening at home, and I don't want to lose another year.
I'm 16 years old. I don't have a job, money, transportation, or another family member here who I can live with. I want to leave this house, but I don't want to run away and end up homeless or in another dangerous situation.
I don't know exactly what is going to happen to me, but I know that I can't keep living like this. I need help finding somewhere safe to live, getting food and clothing, returning to school, and getting the support I need to move forward.
I am not trying to hurt anyone or cause problems for my family. I just want to be safe. I want to finish school. I want to have a future. I want to be able to live without being afraid all the time.