I just wanted to protect my girl

‘One of the hardest things is realising you are helpless’

As a mother, your goal in life is to protect your child. It doesn't matter how old they get, you worry about them constantly. One of the hardest things is realising you are helpless, that nothing you can do will save them. That’s how I felt time and time again with my daughter, Vanessa. I tried desperately to free her from the clutches of her abusive boyfriend. ‘He’s going to kill you,’ I’d warned tearfully. I made every attempt possible – yet, like most domestic violence victims, Vanessa had felt trapped by her abuser and nothing I said could make her see