'You have to walk away': one woman's dramatic domestic violence plea

A still from the viral video by Emma Murphy in which she details allegations of abuse against her former partner

An Irish woman's emotional video about domestic violence has attracted international attention and been watched almost 9 million times.

Emma Murphy, a 26-year-old mother of two from Dublin, uploaded a video to Facebook "to inspire other women around the world." In the caption to the video she wrote that she "thought long and hard" before sharing it, adding "this is very difficult for me but I have to do what is RIGHT."

In the video, Murphy appears with a black eye and is tearful throughout. She shares details of her relationship with her partner who she describes as "the love of her life" and the father of their two children.

Murphy says that he punched her after she confronted him about cheating. She also describes an earlier incident of alleged domestic violence, and says that she previously went into early labour after discovering that her partner had got another woman pregnant.

According to reports, Murphy's partner has admitted to infidelity, and to pushing her during a confrontation, but denies punching her. "I did sleep with someone else," he told the Irish Sun newspaper. "Yes I did push her. I pushed her, I didn't punch her. It was just the force. I know nobody will believe me but I am not a violent person. I never, ever want to hurt anyone," he said.

Emma Murphy reportedly made a complaint about the incident to Irish police last Friday, and uploaded the video to Facebook on Monday.

The video has been watched 9 million times and has generated a huge reaction. Thousands of people have left Murphy messages of support, and many people shared their own stories of domestic violence.

"Having gone through something similar I take my hat off to this girl for speaking out and raising awareness," wrote one Facebook user. Another said: "I'm 35 years old now, I grew up with a violent dad in the house who literally kicked my mother, me and my sister around for many years, physical and emotional abuse. I still have nightmares and wake up thinking my Dad is beating me in my sleep - it took my mother over 11 years to do what you did... but it was a different era then - so my mother was really brave doing what she did at the time - just like you - what a brave woman you are."

People also discussed whether social media was the right approach to confronting domestic violence. "I don't know how I feel about this video. There are two sides to every story. Not for Facebook," said one comment. But others defended the move. "This is about raising awareness," one said. "If this video gives one woman the courage to leave an abusive relationship then it's more than worth it. It's not about naming and shaming it's about sending out a message that could potentially save a life."

Blog by Anne-Marie Tomchak

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