Dear GC,

I’m in a real dilemma about how to help a close friend of mine. I’ve known her for over ten years so in many ways she really is like my sister. Recently I found out her boyfriend of two years has been beating her.

I’m truly shocked and devastated as I had no idea she was going through all this. I feel like such a bad friend because i didn’t even know it was happening. I had noticed that she wasn’t going out as much or answering my calls but she said she is just feeling tired lately.

I’ve tried to tell her to leave but she says she can’t as he has no one else and anytime the beating happenings, he regrets it-meaning he does not intend to beat her but it happens all the time.

Since she told me she has once come over to my house because her man had seriously beaten her. She had blood pouring from her brow. I was so upset.

She has made me promise not to say anything but I can’t just keep this to myself. What makes this worse is that she just told me she is pregnant and so it isn’t just her who is in danger, the baby too.

My friend says if I say anything she will end our friendship and I should let her deal with it. How can I not say or do anything? I know all this is happening because both her parents are back home in Africa and she is an only child, the only family she has here is her aunt who she does not get on with.  

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