Victims of domestic violence need to be granted the same options and treated respectfully regardless of having legal representation or not when divorcing their abuser. Being forced to pay legal professionals in exchange for a chance at surviving should not be acceptable.  People who are accused of a crime should not be given more protection (Public Defender) than a person seeking to survive and protect their children. For years I have been the victim of domestic violence by my husband.  I have been ignored, disrespected, and treated like a criminal by our justice system.  Why?After 12 years of marriage, my abuser first abandoned us July 22, 2018, when our son was just 18 months old. From then on he would disappear for days randomly without a word or any way to contact him.  He took my set of keys and had our phone, internet, and cable disconnected, leaving me helpless. My abuser was always angry, verbally abusive, and became increasingly aggressive over time.  As a stay at home Mom, I started hiding my keys and reached out online for help. I found domestic abuse survivor groups on Facebook that he somehow knew every detail of. He demanded I stop talking to people about us and I explained I was trying to get help and make sense of what was happening with him.  I learned to record him abusing and manipulating me so I didn't doubt my own reality.  I recorded my abuser coaching me to delete evidence of his abuse and not cooperate with the prosecutor.  These recordings were not even considered by court officials.  My abuser requested that I be ordered to stop participating in online therapy groups, not post anything online about his abuse, or be able to share my story in hopes of helping others and finding support. Outagamie County Judges honored his request and took the freedom to protect myself from me.  I have had police refuse to give recordings of the abuse to the District Attorney and refuse to help me when I need to be safe.  I have endless pictures, text message history, emails, and actual recordings of the abuse but not having legal representation has left me helpless and at the mercy of my abuser.  He has used our children as pawns to continue punishing me, has alienated my babies from me with disgusting lies, gifts and endless trips to water parks.  I've begged for help with my children's struggles and behavior issues as a result and have only been questioned about my parenting abilities and made to feel like I deserved everything he did to me.  Sadly this is not uncommon. My abuser's multiple domestic abuse charges (that were reduced with plea deals) seem invisible because I don't have a lawyer to defend me. Let's demand an end to this social injustice that will make a better life possible for countless people. No person's right to life should depend on whether they can afford to pay a lawyer.  Court Officials need to be held accountable for favoring a person with the means to pay more. Court Officials that allow abusers control in their victims lives need to be stopped.  Mandated reporters who witness such unfair treatment that destroys lives without helping, need to be fired.