Henry Was Abused. Now He's Speaking Out Via A Bergen County Agency

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Former Hackensack resident Henry Lliguicota-Lema, 22, has been speaking out this year about overcoming an abusive childhood and being able to survive — in part — thanks to a Bergen County-based domestic violence agency that sheltered his family.

Back in March, Lliguicota-Lema was a speaker at the annual gala for the Bergen County-based Center for Hope & Safety (See Henry's Story Of Surviving Domestic Violence here).

Lliguicota-Lema said that he grew up in a home with an alcoholic family member.

When his mother and sister started "taking the brunt of the abuse," they left and were able to live for two years at a shelter and transitional housing provided by the Center for Hope and Safety, the agency said.

In fact, the agency helped a total 1,600 adults and children with domestic violence situations last year.

They provided housing for some, and just gave advice and support to others via their 24-hour hotline.

Lliguicota-Lema now lives in Los Angeles, but has been speaking out about the need for support for domestic violence agencies.

New Jersey has a list of agencies in each county that can help in domestic violence situations. Even if someone isn't ready to leave, they can talk to counselors for support or to make a plan.

The Chance To Grow Up

"Henry ... thought his family was different than others growing up," the Center said recently. "As it turns out, his family wasn’t that different – about 1 in 3 Latinas (34.4 percent) will experience Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) during their lifetime and their families will be affected in more ways than one."

During the first 10 months of 2023, in fact, at least 17 women, five kids, and two men were killed in New Jersey in apparent acts of domestic violence.

Henry Lliguicota-Lema was able to survive his childhood and go on to achieve success thanks to helping hands.

Today, the Center said, "Henry is a first-generation, bilingual Mechanical Engineer at Case Western Reserve University, a Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Scholar and ScholarSHEP recipient, participates in extracurricular activities, and is a strong advocate for domestic violence prevention. As a graduating senior [in spring 2024], Henry already has a mechanical engineering job lined up."

You can donate to help the Center here.

Get Help Locally And Beyond

The Center for Hope & Safety has provided support services and a safe haven for domestic violence survivors and their children since 1976. Their free, confidential hotline operates seven days a week, 365 days a year: (201) 944-9600 or https://www.hopeandsafetynj.or...

Also, in an emergency, call 911.

The national domestic violence hotline, reachable through phone, text, or chat, is 800-799-SAFE (7233), or you can text "Start" to 88788 to reach them by text.

The New Jersey hotline is 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). The list of county agencies is here, and other information on how to get a restraining order and protect oneself legally in New Jersey is here.