Domestic violence survivor Brooke Axtell gives speech alongside Katy Perry at the Grammys

show ad

Kanye's Grammys meltdown: Star storms on stage AGAIN as Beck beats Beyoncé to best album - then goes on backstage rant about rocker's win being a 'smack in the face' before Kim shuts him up
The Grammys Hall of Shame: Rihanna, Rita Ora and buttock-baring Madonna lead the WORST dressed list on the LA red carpet
Congresswomen who champion income equality are accused of hypocrisy for attending Grammys with wealthy Hollywood elite
Pharrell Williams and his hooded backing dancers make 'hands up' gesture for Michael Brown during Grammy performance
Brave domestic violence survivor, who was sex-trafficked as a 7-year-old by her male nanny, gives a moving Grammy speech appealing to victims alongside Katy Perry
Bruce Jenner breaks his silence to deny texting at the wheel during fatal crash - as cops suggest he's in the clear and car in front is to blame
Northeast snowstorm to coat New England in another FOOT of snow, threatening travel chaos and canceling hundreds of flights
Hooded gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs fire at police in Marseille where French prime minister is due to visit today
Beheaded... for WITCHCRAFT: Latest ISIS execution in Syria once again echoes something from the Dark Ages as man is killed for 'invoking magic'
ISIS experiencing shortage of suicide bombers after dozens of fighters desert terror group or defect to rival militias
Is Canadian jihadist dubbed 'Toronto Jane' a senior figure in ISIS? Tracking data shows woman has popped up across territory in three weeks suggesting she holds key rank
Jordan launches 56 revenge airstrikes against ISIS after terror group released video showing Jordanian pilot being burned alive
Forty football fans crushed to death after supporters without tickets clash with police as they try to force their way into Egyptian Premier League match
EXCLUSIVE: 'She wanted to change the world': The story of 'killed' US aid worker, 26, who traveled the globe fighting genocide, AIDS and domestic abuse
ISIS is on a 'different level' than Al Qaeda says retired General John Allen amid claims terror group is spreading
Giant explosion that sparked fears of a 'tactical nuke' in Ukraine is caught on camera as diplomats warn Russia could target other Baltic states next
British Academy Awards audience left stunned by host Stephen Fry's attempt to imitate Professor Stephen Hawking's synthesised voice
Professor Stephen Hawking watches as Eddie Redmayne dedicates his BAFTA win to physicist and his 'incredible family'
'It's bittersweet': Melissa Rivers accepts her late mother Joan's posthumous Grammy for best spoken word album
I think about death 12 times a day, admits Bill Nighy: Love Actually star says he hopes to 'go to bed and not wake up'
Inside the squalid condo community where renters watch rats run up and down the walls but have nowhere else to turn
'You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe': Extraordinary response from New York Knicks CEO to fan who wrote him an angry email about team
Want to shed a stone over a year without doing any exercise? Just eat a handful of berries every day
Forget 'Googling', soon we could be 'Appleing': Job listing fuels rumours firm is working on its own search engine

Writer Brooke Axtell, 34, gave a speech before Katy Perry sang 'By the Grace of God'
Revealed her traumatic childhood led to an abusive relationship
She urged potential domestic violence victims to reach out for help
Miss Axtell spoke after President Obama appeared via a pre-recorded video message and urged viewers to back the White House's ItsOnUs campaign

Published: 23:49 EST, 8 February 2015 | Updated: 07:51 EST, 9 February 2015

View
comments

A domestic violence survivor, who was sex-trafficked as a seven-year-old by her male nanny, spoke movingly at the Grammys on Sunday about her ordeal.

Before Katy Perry sang By The Grace Of God, Brooke Axtell, 34, gave a speech where she revealed that her traumatic childhood meant she later found herself in an abusive relationship.

The Austin-based writer was sex-trafficked while her mother was in hospital and her father was traveling for work, by a man who was responsible for her care.

Miss Axtell is now a singer, poet, activist and the director of communications for Allies Against Slavery, a nonprofit that fights against human trafficking.

Scroll down for video

Appeal: Brooke Axtell, 34 a domestic violence survivor who was trafficked for sex by her male nanny as a child, made a speech about her traumatic past during the Grammys on Sunday night

Pushing the issue: The Austin-based writer and activist is the director of communications for Allies Against Slavery, a nonprofit that fights against human trafficking

Miss Axtell was cared for by a number of nannies before ending up being looked after by a man she calls 'Jim' who was training to be a priest.

In an essay in 2012 entitled, What I Know of Silence, Miss Axtell shared how she was abused by the man at just seven years old.

She wrote: 'Jim tied me up and called me a whore. He gave me to other men who pay to rape little girls and film it for their private pornography collections.'

Miss Axtell wrote that she was confined to a basement in chains, where was raped and film.

Even when her ordeal ended, she didn't report Jim because of the shame of what she had suffered, according to Washington Post.

Miss Axtell never told anyone what had happened to her and later found herself in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend.

The 34-year-old also founded Survivor Healing and Empowerment (S.H.E.), a group which supports survivors of rape, abuse and sex-trafficking.

Miss Axtell spoke after President Obama made an appearance via a pre-recorded video, stating nearly one in five women in the U.S. has been a victim of rape or attempted rape and one in four women has experienced domestic violence.

Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence, shame or abuse. If you're in a relationship with someone who does not honor or respect you, I want you to know you are worthy of love. Please reach out for help.

Activist Brooke Axtell

In an interview with Slate Magazine, Miss Axtell said sexual abuse before the age of 18 is a major factor in being vulnerable to domestic violence.

At the beginning of her speech, she said: 'I am a survivor of domestic violence. After a year of passionate romance with a handsome, charismatic man, I was stunned when he began to abuse me.

'I believed he was lashing out because he was in pain, and needed help. I believed my compassion could restore him and our relationship. My empathy was used against me. I was terrified of him and ashamed I was in this position.

'What bound me to him was my desire to heal him. My compassion was incomplete because it did not include me. When he threatened to kill me, I knew I had to escape. I revealed the truth to my mom and she encouraged me to seek help at a local domestic violence shelter. This conversation saved my life.

'Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence, shame or abuse.

'If you're in a relationship with someone who does not honor or respect you, I want you to know you are worthy of love. Please reach out for help.'

Brooke Axtell (pictured left) poses backstage during the 57th Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night after giving her moving speech before Katy Perry sang By The Grace Of God (right)

President Obama delivers domestic violence message at Grammys

She penned the powerful message for the occasion after being told by an executive producer that they wanted to highlight violence during the ceremony. She didn't know it would be alongside Katy Perry until a week before the ceremony.

'I wanted to find a balance between sharing the reality of my own trauma but also to emphasize that there is a path to freedom, and to offer a call to action: to encourage women in this position to value their own lives and their voices and reach out for help,' she told the magazine.

'I know last year they addressed the issue of gay marriage [when Macklemore performed Same Love while Queen Latifah officiated a mass wedding of gay and straight couples]. This year they wanted it to be the issue of violence against women.'

Axtell also claimed that Perry's choice of song may have been because of similar experiences in her life.

'I think it's clear from the song that she is choosing to perform that she has had an experience in her life where she felt very devastated by a relationship, and I think that's her entry-point into this,' she said.

However the activist insisted Perry had never confirmed that specifically.

Asked about what she would think about on stage, she told the magazine: 'I’ll be thinking of the survivors I’ve worked with over the years. I know if I speak from that place, I’ll be very peaceful and very clear. I’ll try not to focus on the fact that Beyonce and Madonna and Lady Gaga are sitting right there. And I won’t be wearing a shark costume [referring to Perry's Super Bowl halftime performance.'

Before Axtell spoke, Obama urged viewers to back the White House's anti-domestic violence campaign ItsOnUs.

'It's not OK and it has to stop,' Obama said. 'Artists have a unique power to change minds and attitudes and getting us talking and thinking about what matters.

'And to the artists at the Grammys tonight, I ask you to ask your fans to do it too,' he added. The hashtag #ItsOnUs began trending within minutes on Twitter.

'YOUR VOICE WILL SAVE YOU': BROOKE AXTELL'S MOVING GRAMMYS SPEECH IN FULL

My name is Brooke Axtell and I am a survivor of domestic violence. After a year of passionate romance with a handsome, charismatic man, I was stunned when he began to abuse me.

I believed he was lashing out because he was in pain, and needed help. I believed my compassion could restore him and our relationship. My empathy was used against me. I was terrified of him and ashamed I was in this position.

What bound me to him was my desire to heal him. My compassion was incomplete because it did not include me. When he threatened to kill me, I knew I had to escape. I revealed the truth to my mom and she encouraged me to seek help at a local domestic violence shelter. This conversation saved my life.

Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence, shame, or abuse. If you are in a relationship with someone who does not honor or respect you, I want you to know that you are worthy of love.

Please reach out for help. Your voice will save you. Let it extend into the night. Let it part the darkness. Let it set you free to know who you truly are. Valuable. Beautiful. Loved.