America is a survivor of gender-based violence. Congress must act now to stop her abuser.

As a longtime advocate against gender-based violence, it is clear to me that America is a battered woman, and President Donald Trump is her abuser. Congress must do its job to stop him and secure the safety of this country and its people.

- By AZALEEA CARLEA

America is no stranger to trauma. She's seen wars, economic collapse, racial and gender injustice, and systemic inequality.

But under the coercive control of this administration, America is afraid to speak. Her body (America’s people) and her choices (their freedoms) are tightly controlled.

The dynamics of this administration’s abuse of power closely follow the cycle of abuse seen in many cases of gender-based violence. When applying the Power and Control Wheel, a tool used internationally to understand the dynamics of abusive relationships, the parallels are sadly all too clear. Each of the eight segments of the wheel mirrors the tactics currently employed not against a single partner, but against our entire nation.