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This kind of story will restore your faith and belief in social media's power as a tool for good.
Meet Natasha Toffa, an Australian blogger and anti-domestic violence advocate.
A victim of domestic abuse, Natasha first shared her story through a video post. She heartbreakingly relates how she was used as a punching bag and that she wasn’t allowed any freedom within her relationship (for example: she wasn’t allowed to go to the bank and get money on her own, nor was she allowed to be on social media), but she could never have guessed how much her video would resonate so much with women across the world.
Following the video, she received so many messages from women who opened up and revealed their own devastating stories. It was then that she decided that she wanted to reach out and offer herself as a support structure to these very women who are so often afraid to share their stories with even their loved ones.
Natasha reveals that she’s currently in contact with 20 women from all over the world, some from the U.S, one from Nigeria and even in her home country.
She is upfront about the fact that she’s not a psychologist or counsellor, but says that she uses her own story and experiences in the hopes that they can help others – whether it’s through emotional support or to help someone get out of their relationship.
She’s taken her offering of support a lot further by being up at any hour of the day to be there for the women who are reaching out to her. Her aim she says is to make sure she is accessible as possible to the women who need her.
And in a world where sometimes, reaching out to someone from across the world can feel much easier than asking for help nearby, the power of social media and technology has really come through for both her and the women she talks to.
But Natasha has decided that all of the above is not enough, and that she wants to take it further by travelling around the world to meet up with the women to try and help them.
So far she’s flown out to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and other areas in the U.S. and in many cases has helped women get out of abusive relationships.
READ MORE: ‘I lost two babies and almost died because I stayed with an abusive man’
Through her willingness to go the extra mile to help these women, she’s not only become a champion for them, but she’s become a beacon for those who don’t have any support structures whatsoever.
We do hope that with all the trauma she has to deal with – both her own and that of others – that she doesn’t forget to take some time out for herself too.
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