Stepping out of the darkness: Margarita’s story

Margaryta (name changed) is a 36-year-old Ukrainian woman who now lives in a small town in Slovakia with her young daughter. When they left Ukraine, Margaryta was certain that the worst was behind them. But the real fear had lived not abroad — it had lived for years in her own home.

For several years, Margaryta was in a relationship where psychological pressure and control became her everyday reality. She grew used to having her words twisted, her feelings dismissed, and every step she took met with her partner’s explosive reactions. “For a long time, I believed that if I stayed quiet and tried harder, things would get better,” she says.

With time, psychological violence escalated into physical aggression. Margaryta continued to stay silent — for the sake of her child, for the illusion of stability, for a hope that faded day by day. Fleeing abroad because of the war unexpectedly gave her a chance to look at her life from a distance. “Despite all the pain and longing for home, it was here that I first felt I had the right to peace. To choice. To myself,” she recalls.

At the local refugee support center, Margaryta was advised to speak with a psychologist. After the very first session, she realized how much pain and guilt she had carried inside her for years. “She told me:‘What happened to you is not your fault.’I heard it — and for the first time, I believed it,” Margaryta shares.

A volunteer lawyer helped her with documents and explained all her legal options. This support became a turning point for her. “At that moment, I felt I wasn’t alone. That there were people willing to stand beside me,” she says.

Margaryta made an important decision — she left the relationship that was destroying her life. Today, she and her daughter live in a bright, peaceful home where, for the first time in a long while, they feel genuinely safe. They have created new rituals together, and Margaryta continues her sessions with the psychologist, regaining strength, stability, and hope for the future with each meeting.

“I chose freedom. And now I teach my daughter that every woman has the right to respect and safety — always,” Margaryta says. “Violence is never the victim’s fault, and every person has the right to live without fear!”

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This publication was prepared within the framework of the project “From heart to heart” in partnership with Zjednoczenie Pozytywni w Tęczy and Step by Step Fundacja, with financial support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Slovakia Violence

The freedom to be yourself: Kateryna’s story of resilience, fighting violence, and living with HIV

“I’m a mother of three, a woman with a history of substance use, now 18 years in remission. I live with HIV. And I am a free woman,” says Kateryna (name changed). Her story is one of resilience, responsibility, and the ability to rebuild herself after violence, addiction, and loss.

Kateryna learned about her HIV status in 2005, during her first pregnancy. “There was no PCR testing back then, only antibody tests. But I was immediately registered in Kyiv, received prevention treatment — and my baby was born healthy. Just like my other two children.” Since the beginning, Kateryna has been taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) and has never stopped treatment.

Relocating to Poland didn’t stand in her way: “I took a certificate from home, and initially had six months of ART with me. Then I simply went to a local infectious disease specialist — and that was it. They registered me, gave me the medication. The drugs are different here, but my viral load is undetectable. Everything’s fine. By the way, whenever friends or relatives move abroad, I tell them: contact the HelpNow team — they really do help.”

In Poland, Kateryna works and supports herself and her children. She holds multiple qualifications: medical worker, cosmetologist, and certified psychologist. But her story is not just about living with HIV and maintaining her health. It’s also a story of survival, endurance, and the difficult path of leaving abusive relationships.

Kateryna speaks openly about the years she lived with violence — physical, psychological, sexual and economical. The hardest part, she says, was recognizing how deeply ingrained her fear of being seen as “bad” was in her behavior. “I always tried to be the ‘good girl.’ I did everything myself, carried it all alone. I thought that was my role. And when I started to break away, to stand up for myself — the response was aggression.”

None of her former partners helped after the breakups. “I didn’t file for child support for seven years. I was ashamed. But then I just got angry — and I filed.”

Now, Kateryna is not in a relationship — and that’s a conscious choice. “I don’t see the point in going back to a dynamic where I end up dragging someone along again. If I ever truly want to be with someone, I’ll go to therapy and figure out why.”

Her survival formula is simple: rely on herself. “We don’t need a ‘savior.’ We need resources. If I know I can feed myself — I’m already safe. Everything else can be figured out. Education, financial independence, self-respect — that’s my strength.”

Kateryna’s story is one of deep transformation that begins with being honest with yourself. It’s about a freedom that no longer agrees to stay silent or endure abuse. And a resilience that is born from a simple decision — to stay with yourself and stand up for yourself.

“Everything we need is already within us. We just have to give ourselves permission to lean on it.”

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The publication was prepared within the framework of the “From Heart to Heart” project in partnership with Zjednoczenie Pozytywni w Tęczy and Step by Step Fundacja, with financial support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

HIV Poland Violence