7 News Detroit Anchor Carolyn Clifford is taking a deep dive into domestic violence.
Related: You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-7233, text "START" to 88788 or chat on their website
It comes after doing weekly check-ins with local police chiefs, where we were told that domestic violence is still the No. 1 crime in just about every community.
Full coverage: Breaking Free - a deep dive into domestic violence
During the month of December with the holiday season and new year approaching, domestic violence calls go through the roof.
Related: Resources for domestic violence victims
"Breaking Free" starts with the voice of a young survivor, whose abuse came from the person who was supposed to be her protector, but instead became the monster in her nightmares.
"There were bruises on me as young as an infant. I had bruises all over my body just from him being too rough," Genavieve Kowalksi said.
It's hard to fathom the nightmares that awaited Genavieve beyond the front doors of her home as a child.
"My story begins as a tragic cycle of generational abuse that has been going on for generations," she said. "I was abused for the first 16 and a half years of my life by my father."
From the outside, her family – mom, dad and brother – appeared to have it all. The perfect, happy life.
"I went to Catholic School my entire life. I was on profound figure skating teams, I was very involved in my community and so was my father," she said.
But inside her house of horrors, her nightmare was real, and the secrets dark.
"I was abused sexually, emotionally, mentally, verbally, physically, psychologically, financially," she said. "My father would feed me alcohol and I would black out. I have no idea how badly sexually abused I was."
Watch Carolyn Clifford's full story in the video player below
According to RAINN, one in nine girls under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault. The effects can be long-lasting, especially on a victim's mental health. 34% of the perpetrators are family members.
For Genavieve, it was a double-whammy.
"My mom was raped, my mom was sexually abused, my mom was beaten. I would hear my mom being raped at night," she said.
It's hard to listen to her story without breaking down in tears.
"Who did you tell your secrets too? Or did you just hold it inside?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, I was someone who just had to hold it inside, all of my abuse," Genavieve said.
Her breaking point came on Aug. 8, 2017, when she was just 16 years old.
"The exact moment was when he held a gun to my chest and he started loading the chamber," she said.
That night, he attacked her mom, who was recovering from surgery.
"The next thing I saw was his hands wrapped around my neck and I was being held over the sink blacking out," she said.
Genavieve knew she had to calm him down.
"There was no phone to call 911. There were no keys to escape. He took all of those things from us we had no means of leaving," she said.
Like most abusers, soon after came a flood of apologies. Only this time was different. Genavieve — brainwashed in the past — knew this was wrong and this was abuse.
She said she was suicidal, refusing to eat and becoming sicker by the day.
"My doctor asked me 'what's going on?' She could see there were scars on my arms, she could see I was pale," she said.
The stories of abuse began pouring out.
"I remember that my mom looked at me she said, 'Genavieve you’re over-exaggerating. This isn’t what happened,'" she said.
Genavieve said she cursed at her mom and told her to shut up.
"I was like, 'no mom. I’m telling my doctor. I have to. We have to.' And the next day, CPS was called," she said. "We were so scared that my father would kill us because he would find out we called CPS."
Child Protective Services gave Genavieve's mom an ultimatum: leave the home or lose custody. They went into hiding and a court battle ensued.
"Did you finally get to a person who understood and sort of guided you out?" I asked.
"At First Step, I worked with Audriana and she changed my life," she said.
First Step is a domestic violence and nonprofit organization. They have guided Genavieve through seven years of therapy, and she's still healing.
"I don’t know if I’ll ever be fully done healing, but I know the young Genavieve is so proud of how far we’ve come," she said.
Genavieve is now in law school and is using her voice and platform to help other victims of domestic violence heal. Her mom is one of them.
"My mom tells me I’m her hero," she said.
At First Step's "You Are The Light Gala" in November, Genavieve told her story to a sold-out crowd.
"People gave you a standing ovation as people were crying," I said.
"I finished my speech and I looked up and saw people clapping for me," she said. "They are being touched by my story. They believe me. It’s just meant the entire world to me."
Lastly, I wanted to know what a young Genavieve would tell herself and others in a similar situation.
"I want to tell her 'your village will hold you together. You’ll be loved one day by an incredible man as I am today. Most important, you’re more than enough,'" she said.
Forty percent of child abuse victims also report experiencing domestic violence. One study found that children exposed to violence in the home were 15 times more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted than the national average.
