Love letters from abusive partners in Peru
After Raquel’s boyfriend assaulted her, he wrote her a pleading, apologetic letter promising it was the last time.
After receiving the letter, Raquel decided to take him back.
Five weeks later, he beat her to death.
The case is one of 25 published in a new book in Peru called "Don’t Die for Me".
It is a collection of love letters, e-mails and text messages from abusive partners to their battered women, accompanied by the story of what happened next.
Many of the stories echo Raquel’s.
Here is what the men often plead.
But the pleas are almost systematically followed by repeat episodes of violence.
Peru is among the most violent countries in the world for women. In the past six years, 680 women have been murdered by their partners, according to the government.
The "sweet side" of these messages often persuades women not to report the perpetrators, said Ms Nelly Cancion, the head of women’s rights group Vida Mujer, which edited the book together with advertising agency Circus Grey.
"There’s a point in time when women who are suffering like to hear those ‘I love you, I need you and I’ll do betters'. They’re little lights of happiness, but human behaviour persists over time," she told AFP.
But many women in Peru who have suffered physical violence are afraid to speak out.
"It’s been difficult to reach women who are exposed to abuse, because they don’t report it," said Ms Cancion. "We appealed to women, who have a vocation to protect and care for others, and exhorted them to care for other women through their testimony in this book."
The book, which is in Spanish, can be viewed online at notemueraspormi.com.
Source: AFP | Designed by Freepik
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