AARON, 15, HAS SUFFERED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE FROM HIS FATHER — AS HAVE HIS MOTHER AND SIBLINGS
“Dad was very violent to mum,” he says. “The longest period of him not being violent was two weeks. There was police involvement on several occasions. He hit me and my sister. When dad was hitting mum, I felt very scared. As I got older I tried to intervene.
“I hate my dad — despise him. I wish he wasn’t my dad and had nothing to do with my life.”
Since Aaron’s father left, relations with other family and friends have improved. But he can still “barely eat and have terrible sleep problems, which makes school hard.
“I love my mum because she makes up for the bad things he did. She tells me the truth. She knows what’s best for me, even though sometimes I disagree.
“JWA has helped me and my mum get through what has happened. It has helped me get my anger out and given me loads more confidence.
“If kids have these things going on at home, they may behave badly at school but they need teachers to understand. If teachers are too hard on these kids it makes them more angry.”
