Woman hopes statue will break cycles of violence

A statue aiming to educate young people about violence has been unveiled in Chelmsford

A woman who said she had endured abuse since the age of three has helped create a statue to empower young people to break cycles of violence.

Luisa Di Marco worked with Knife Angel artist Alfie Bradley to co-create the I am Love statue, which was unveiled in Frank Whitmore Green, Chelmsford, on Monday.

Ms Marco, 49, managed to escape from her cycle of violence and abuse at the age of 37 when she said a police officer listened to her without judgement for the first time.

She went on to become a youth worker and said: "I just want to give back and the reason I do my work is so I can prevent other people going a lifetime enduring harm."

Luisa Di Marco gave a speech at the unveiling event on Monday at Frank Whitmore Green, Chelmsford

The statue was unveiled on Monday in Chelmsford

Ms Marco was homeless between the age of 16 and 23 and said she associated love with being scared.

"That conversation I had at 37 years old - I should have had that as a young person because I felt that there was something wrong with me and I went through all of my life thinking that [abuse] is all I deserve."

She hopes the 15ft (4.6m) statue will encourage conversations.

Ms Marco, who is now training to be a lawyer, said: "I know if I had that conversation at any time before I was 25, my life would have been different."

She is also the founder of Keep It 100 Youth CIC, which is a platform designed to help young people.

Ms Marco said a young person was more likely to think violence was normal if that is what they have grown up seeing.

"But if they can have a conversation about it and open up about it, they are far less likely to perpetrate that form of violence or accept that as a normality and become a victim," she said.

"We drive down victims by addressing the perpetrators and the roots of it."