Natalia Jimenez came to Canada to escape violence in Colombia, but the violence followed her here.
The mother of two was psychologically abused, harassed, beaten, and eventually choked and stabbed with a kitchen knife by her estranged husband within five months of her arrival to the country.
Now, five years after the brutal attack that nearly cost her her life, Jimenez is being honoured as a survivor through this year's London Abused Women’s Centre’s (LAWC) Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign.
Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Jimenez shared her harrowing story Friday at the launch of the tenth annual campaign at the agency’s headquarters on York Street.
She told the crowd that it was just days after her abusive husband arrived in the country in September 2013 that she was brutally beaten by him. New to Canada, unable to speak the language, and scared, Jimenez did not call the police and the physical violence continued.
He was jealous, manipulated her, and threatened to kill himself.
Even being arrested a month later and issued a restraining order was not enough to stop her ex-partner's abuse. As soon as he was granted bail, he began harassing Jimenez in person, over the phone, and through text messages. Being jailed for 30 days didn't deter him either and on January 2, 2014 - a week after his release - he put on women's clothing and headed over to the Viscount Road apartment where Jimenez had been staying.
Natalia Jimenez and her friend Andrea Amigon.
Thinking it was her new friend Andrea Amigon, Jimenez opened the door.
"He locked the door and immediately grabbed me by the neck and started to choke me without mercy... He twisted my throat and squeezed his fingers blocking my breathing," said Jimenez. "He said to me with an expression of rage on his face that if I wasn't his then I wouldn't belong to anyone else."
He slammed her head off of the walls, used a phone charger and then a belt to try to choke her. Amigon heard the commotion from outside of the apartment. She called police and rallied neighbours for help. Amigon called through the apartment door for Jimenez to authorize them to kick in the door.
"I closed my eyes and with a knife pointing at my chest, I said 'yes.' I felt the knife coming in and out of my chest and a stream of blood came in my face," said Jimenez. "I wrestled with him and tried to get the knife out of my chest, but it was almost impossible. I had almost no strength and he was sitting on my abdomen. I felt my neck was broken and had lost a lot of blood."
As her neighbours came charging into the room, Jimenez's estranged husband jumped out of the apartment window. He was later arrested and pleaded guilty to attempted murder. He is currently serving his prison term and is to be deported upon his release.
Jimenez was rushed to hospital where she underwent emergency surgery for injuries including a punctured lung. She became depressed and suicidal in the months that followed as her mother and sister back in Colombia were being threatened by her ex's family and friends. Some people told her "she deserved it," she said.
"Without even knowing me or knowing the true story. I was judged due to that ridiculous sexism in which we were raised," said Jimenez.
She is optimistic that by sharing her story she can help break the cycle and show other women in similar situations that they are not alone.
"I have two beautiful children who encourage me to move forward. I am fortunate to have my mother, my sister, and my friend Andrea and her family who have given me so much support and unconditional love," said Jimenez, who is now a permanent resident of Canada and studying fashion design at Fanshawe College.
Shine the Light is a month-long, London-born initiative aimed at casting a spotlight on the issue of men’s violence against women. As part of the campaign, dozens of buildings and monuments throughout the city, country, and internationally will be bathed in purple light throughout the month of November. The colour purple is a symbol of courage, survival, and honour.
London Abused Women's Centre Executive Director Megan Walker.
"What this campaign does is give women permission to share their experiences. It gives the community a way to get involved meaningfully by asking questions and supporting abused women," said Megan Walker, LAWC executive director. "It gives women hope and it makes women realize we are not alone with our stories and we don't have to feel shame and blame because that belongs rightfully to the person who has chosen to abuse us."
Last year, the LAWC helped more than 8,000 women who were fleeing abusive situations.
"That was a 103 per cent increase from two years prior," said Walker. "We predict based on the number of women that we have seen so far this year that that number will continue to grow."
Walker believes the reason for the continued jump in numbers is a combination of an increased level of violence against women, as well as more women coming forward.
The 10th annual Shine the Light campaign also honours Sonya Cywink, an Indigenous woman who was abducted and murdered in August 1994. Cywink's body was found at Southwold Earthworks, an Indigenous historical site on Iona Road in the Township of Southwold. The 31-year-old was pregnant at the time of her death. Her killer has never been found.
Cywink's sister Meggie will share her story during the Shine the Light campaign’s illumination of the Tree of Hope in Victoria Park on November 1.
Other events being held throughout the campaign's run can be found by clicking here.
