A New Voice
By Carly Webb
Suicide attempt as a result of domestic violence which ripped my world apart but gave me a voice and a completely different direction for my life for the better.
My name is Carly Webb and I am the owner of Healthy Family Dynamics Pty Ltd. A company that helps men and children affected by domestic and family violence.
In 2017 my life was turned upside down by my mother who has made it her life’s mission to see me fail. A Protection Order/DVO was taken out by police following a violent incident with my ex partner. I was severely beaten on the eve of my 31st birthday with my son who was 5 at the time and my own mother as witness’ to my ex’s drunken rage. I attempted to report the violence myself but was threatened by my mother over talking to police. That report was taken out by police and at the same time as I was about to undergoing surgery for cervical cancer. Not only did my mother support my ex partner stating I was the violent one she also kidnapped my son and a day before surgery I received paperwork from Family Court stating she was trying to get custody of my son along with my ex partner whom I later found out she was sleeping with. 4 days after surgery I appeared in family court but was coerced into signing orders by my family whom have all now turned their back on me. I was fired from my job as a medical typist for over 4 years and spent the next 3.5 years in court being humiliated, stalked and dragged over the coals until I folded in court following a suicide attempt. I have been homeless, been the victim of further abuse, struggled with substance abuse and lost everything. I have not seen my son in 2 years as they do not allow me to but due to the level of stress he was under as a result of the pressure they put him under seeing me once a week I had to make the heartbreaking decision to walk away to get myself in a better position before I took up the fight again.
Today I am good with who I am and despite having to do it all on my own with what seemed like the world against me i’m still here and feeling better than ever. I have my own place 9 min from Brisbane City. In 2019, while living in my car I managed to register my company which I hope to one day expand and employ people who have also had their lives touched by domestic and family violence. My company is specifically targeted at helping men and children. Men because there is a severe lack of assistance for them in the domestic and family violence industry. I have a special interest in perpetrators, I am in talks with relationship services in Brisbane to develop a co-parenting app for use by them in mediation and family court. I am working on a ‘AMBER alert’ style app for adults, making contacting 000 easier. I am writing a series of 30 children’s books that help children recognise what domestic and family violence looks like which I one day hope will be a part of the schooling curriculum just to name a few projects in the works. I also write a blog called Diaries From Domestic Violence which has just over 21,000 followers.
This year I plan to go back into family court to regain access to my son. Despite what my mother and ex have done to me I will only be asking for 50% custody with my ex partner. My son deserves the right to have a relationship with his father if he chooses to. When it comes to my mother and family I wish them all the best but if they don’t want to be around when things aren’t so great then I don’t want them around when they are. My family I have made along the way with some truly amazing people who have stuck by me despite the challenges and they are the ones who have helped me make it this far and lifted me up when others knocked me down.
My blog diariesfromdomesticviolence.blog