After more than a decade in an abusive marriage, Linda fled to a refuge in a suburb of Kosovo’s capital Pristina, a safe space for survivors in a nation long ravaged by domestic violence.
“Once he hit me so hard that he broke three fingers, while I bled all over,” the 37-year-old told AFP.
“He is insanely jealous. He treats me like a servant, repeating, ‘You are mine and belong only to me.'”
The shelter — part of a government-backed network to help women get out of abusive relationships — gave sanctuary to roughly 150 victims last year alone, according to its director Zana Hamiti.