When video of pro football player Ray Rice punching fiance Janay Rice and dragging her out of a casino elevator surfaced, many people were horrified. But disturbingly, many people also criticized Janay Rice for staying and going on to marry Rice just weeks later.
Since then, women came forward on twitter and other social media outlets sharing their personal stories with #WhyIStayed.
Huffington Post collected stories from women who stayed, left, and survived abusive relationships. The series called “Why Didn’t You Just Leave” highlights 6 stories narrated by the survivors themselves, one of them coming from Richmond, Va. Each story has a theme that rings true for other survivors of abuse: love, fear, money, family, isolation and shame.
The powerful series highlights just what makes an abusive relationship complicated and difficult to escape.
Read the essays or listen to the stories on Huffington Post
Warning: these stories contain violence and sexual assault and may be difficult for some audiences.
Last August, we shared the Greater Richmond Regional Hotline Collaborative (GRRHC) hotline number allows each of the five domestic and sexual violence agencies in the Richmond area to streamline the call 
process and provide multiple levels of service with just one phone call.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing abuse share this number.
The Greater Richmond Regional Hotline: 804-612-6126
