1 . Gita ’ s husband would not let her go anywhere unaccompanied . He insisted on sitting in on her medical appointments , explaining to the clinic staff that this was “ cultural .”
2 . Cindy ’ s boyfriend insulted her appearance and eroded her self-esteem . She hated to have anyone look at her and could barely stand to see herself in the mirror . Cindy developed an eating disorder — binging in secret but hard‐ ly eating anything around others .
3 . Sam ’ s boyfriend turned him on to an exciting life of club‐ bing and drugs . When Sam grew tired of the late nights and said he wanted to go to college , his boyfriend told him to get off his high horse and insisted they continue to use drugs together .
4 . Shanique ’ s wife made her cancel her counselling appointment , saying she was disloyal for wanting to tell others about their private matters .
5 . When Grace attended a routine checkup , her provider noticed that her breasts and arms were bruised . Grace said her boyfriend did it and it was “ nothing .” The provider was alarmed but didn ’ t quite know what to ask to determine if Grace was safe .
6 . After their divorce , Tommy ’ s ex-wife , Sandra , stalked him . She called him at all hours of the day and night . She appeared , unwelcome , at his workplace and at places he liked to socialise . She seemed to know where he was at all times . Afraid she might have installed a GPS on his computer or phones , he bought new ones .
Although the court order was clear about visitation , she obligated him to return to court every couple of month about trivial matters regarding their shared children . Tommy suffered debilitating migraines , insomnia and digestive problems .
7 . The medical staff noticed that Carmen had to check with her boyfriend about everything — which exams they could give her , — where she should pick up her prescriptions , — what medicines she should take , and referrals to specialists . They heard her explaining to him on her phone from the waiting room that she was delayed at the doctor ’ s and would be home soon . They saw her snap a photo of the waiting room , as if to prove her whereabouts .