Tender

“My name is Roia Atmar, and—in my after—I made it a mission that other women find proof of their own. Proof that there is no uncomplicated route, that fear and shame lives in the most dubious of places, even still. That abuse does not end with the last lighting of a match, with the last foul insult, with the last bellow of a man—or ten—as they stand on the dusty steps of a court, the same court where women wanting nothing more than justice stand, holding space for any semblance of pride they can muster. Women that fight for their very own afters.”In the sixth and final episode, My Name is Roia Atmar, she battles through the family court system as she is confronted not only by her abuser, but by the loud and obnoxious presence of “Men's Rights Activists”. As she fights to keep herself and her children safe, Roia reflects on the ongoing nature of healing, survival and hope.Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia AtmarSensitivity Editor: Shakira HusseinAssistant Producer: Danae GibsonSound Designer and Engineer: Jon TjhiaGuest in this episode: Samantha Jeffries, Amani Haydar and Ashlee DonohueFor episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

“Abuse grows where love once could have. Interpersonal violence is a double-edged sword. And this, this tense and dangerous phenomenon, makes any sort of court proceeding incredibly hard. A webbed thing. The end, or so it seems, of a terrible, loveless promise.”In episode 5 Hungry and Holy, Roia tackles the criminal justice system head on as she faces her abuser in the courtroom. In a bid to protect himself, he uses his faith to distract and delay court proceedings. Roia considers how religious institutions of all kinds can be weaponised by men when it comes to the way they exercise violence.Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia AtmarSensitivity Editor: Shakira HusseinAssistant Producer: Danae GibsonSound Designer and Engineer: Jon TjhiaGuest in this episode: Hala AbdelnourFor episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

“Working in the sector, and simultaneously existing as a survivor, means being looked at: being perceived, even if the woman on the other end of the line, or sitting before you, isn’t aware of your past. It means being an image of recovery, whether that image feels fully-formed or not.”In episode 4 An Image of Recovery, Roia establishes a career in the family violence sector. Confronted by one particular client’s story and the way it eerily echoes her own, Roia is forced to reckon with the complexities of being a support worker as well as a victim-survivor in the space, especially when the client looking back at you for help resembles all that you once knew. Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia AtmarSensitivity Editor: Shakira HusseinAssistant Producer: Danae GibsonSound Designer and Engineer: Jon TjhiaGuests in this episode: Karina Hogan, Cat Kilpatrick, Ashlee Donohue and Maha AbdoFor episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

“Over the span of my life, I had to get my nose re-pierced five times. It was a no-brainer: I was obviously going to do it. And, in a way, there was something quite powerful and commanding about my body’s insistence when it came to healing itself. Just this time, they were my wounds: and the sort that allowed me to bedazzle myself, time and time again, bleeding but adorned.”In episode 3 Bleeding but Adorned, Roia delights in all of the small, but significant ways she is able to reclaim her appearance after abuse: from buying her first pair of skinny jeans, to getting her nose pierced. After her divorce, she is also forced to make a map of what it means to be ‘an Australian’ in the early 2000s, in the dawn of 9/11, when xenophobia was - and still is - rife in the Western world.Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia Atmar Sensitivity Editor: Shakira Hussein Assistant Producer: Danae Gibson Sound Designer and Engineer: Jon Tjhia Guests in this episode: Debbie, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Maha Krayem Abdo OAMFor episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

“Given the way my burns creeped over my neck and side, it meant I physically wasn’t able to move in certain ways. I was a walking, talking, breathing conundrum of sorts: presented with this hopeful newfound agency having just left my abuser, but still restricted entirely by his doing, a prisoner in my body.”In episode 2 Twice Over, Roia moves to Melbourne, where she lives with her children and her family. Despite leaving her now ex-husband, her burns continue to gnaw, sting and throb. Drawing on her body and its unique architecture post-violence, Roia describes the kind of claustrophobia she is forced to face in a body made to wear her ex-husband’s rage. Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia Atmar Sensitivity Editor: Shakira Hussein Assistant Producer: Danae Gibson Sound Designer and Engineer: Jon Tjhia Guests in this episode: Jeremy Rawlins Voice actors: Thank-you to Rosemarie Jansz who voiced Roia’s mother Najeeba, and to Areej Nur, Izzy Roberts-Orr, Michelle Macklem, Anu Hasbold, Beth Atkinson-Quinton, Elle Marsh, Karishma Luthria, Mel Cranenburg, Sophie Woods, Ayan Shirwa and Adalya Nash Hussein for their contribution to this episode.For episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

What does leaving actually look like? What does it mean for a space to become yours? Like, really, truly become yours? For Roia Atmar, it began in a burns unit in a Perth hospital during the summer of 1998. After a brutal domestic assault from her then husband, the shy 20-year-old had never ventured out of the suburban home she shared with her partner’s family… at least since arriving in Australia from Pakistan six years prior as a 14-year-old bride. In episode 1 Something Burning, Roia harnesses her strength: musing on how, when something goes up in flames, it becomes larger than itself.  Co-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia AtmarSensitivity Editor: Shakira HusseinAssistant Producer: Danae GibsonSound Designer and Engineer: Jon TjhiaGuests in this episode: Carol*, Jess Hill and Ashlee Donohue. Thank-you to Danae Gibson who voiced Carol, and Jon Tjhia who voiced the nurse. And, a heartfelt thank-you to Carol and Patricia who supported Roia through these early days in her recovery process.For episode transcripts and more information visit our website and stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.

What does my ‘after’ look like? How did my story begin? Tender is a thoughtful podcast series about what happens when women leave abusive relationships.The first season of Tender followed Madison’s journey of self-discovery and growth after an abusive relationship, zooming in on the small, soft details. Tender started where the story seemingly ends, at least in how domestic abuse narratives are often conveyed.It has been two years, and in that time domestic abuse has remained a national crisis.For those that survive abusive relationships, that forge their own complex journeys after undergoing a kind of private terror, the monstrosity of that experience doesn’t come with an expiration date. The hurt doesn’t always promise to subside, and when—or if—it does, the healing never quite looks the way it seems it should. But scattered amongst it all are pivotal moments: of tenderness, of growth, of selfhood.In the second season of Tender, we introduce you to Roia Atmar, a mother, activist, survivor. Join us as we invite you into Roia’s after. CreditsCo-producers: Madison Griffiths and Beth Atkinson-QuintonLead Storyteller: Roia AtmarSensitivity Editor: Shakira HusseinAssistant Producer: Danae GibsonSound Designer and Engineer: Jon TjhiaTrailer Video Producer: Madison GriffithsWebsite: Catherine Huang (Peer Process)Tender season two is Broadwave podcast supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and proudly sponsored by the Victorian Women’s Trust.Get in touchWe love hearing from our listeners. Stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @broadwavepods, and @tenderpodcast on Twitter.