Latoya Brooks survived six years of domestic abuse. She says she made more than 20 police reports, sought refuge through her church and pleaded with family for help. Her story raises a disturbing question: How many times must a woman cry for help before somebody saves her?
๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐.
That is what Latoya Brooks remembers from the day in 2018 when, eight months pregnant, she says her husband poured methylated spirits over her and set her on fire.
Her two young sons were sitting nearby.
The argument was over money. Brooks wanted to buy clothes and hospital necessities for their unborn baby. Her husband wanted to send money to his mother in Guyana.
She asked him to wait.
According to Brooks, he became angry, grabbed a bottle of methylated spirits, poured it over her and used a lighter to ignite it.
She dropped to the ground and rolled, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.
Her dress absorbed much of the burning liquid, but she suffered burns to her right ear, shoulder and hand.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ฆ๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐.
But the fire was not where her suffering began.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ
Long before she became a survivor, Brooks was a little girl from Roxborough, Tobago, dreaming of opening her own beauty salon.
Every Sunday, boys from her street would visit her home to have their hair combed.
She had ambition, creativity and dreams of independence.
But behind those dreams was childhood trauma.
Brooks says she was raped by a relative and reported the incident to the police. When information about the report reached her mother, she recalls being told that family business should remain within the family.
At 22, she left Tobago for Trinidad, carrying emotional wounds and searching for love.
On January 11, 2012, she met the man from Guyana who would become her husband.
At first, she remembers him as loving, kind and supportive.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐.
For six years, Brooks says, she endured physical violence, sexual abuse, humiliation and financial hardship.
She describes a husband who gambled away his wages and returned home angry when he lost.
He would beat her, she alleges, and then force her to have sex despite her refusal.
She recalls being spat upon and told she was nobody because her own family did not love her.
There were times she had to borrow money from neighbours just to feed her children.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐.
๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ๐ง๐ฆ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ.
Brooks says she made more than 20 reports to the police, yet the abuse continued.
Officers would sometimes visit, speak to her husband and leave, she alleges.
On one occasion, she says an officer asked whether she attended church. When she answered yes, he advised her to pray more.
That was the response she remembers receiving while living in fear.
She also sought a protection order but says she was unsuccessful.
And when she tried leaving, other doors appeared to close.
Brooks recalls escaping to stay with a church member in south Trinidad. Her husband subsequently visited the church looking for her, and she alleges that the pastor contacted the woman sheltering her and instructed her to bring Brooks back.
When she appealed to her mother for somewhere to return, she says she was reminded that marriage was something she had to endure.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป. ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
And the violence continued.
Her account raises questions about what happens when institutions and families treat domestic abuse as a marital disagreement rather than a threat to life.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ก๐
Brooks recounts another incident during pregnancy when her husband allegedly beat her and kicked her in the stomach after she refused his demand to end the pregnancy.
She escaped to a neighbourโs home.
That neighbour was a police officer who took her to the station and helped her obtain medical attention.
It was an example of the intervention she had been seeking.
Following the burning incident, Brooks says her landlord transported her to hospital.
But her husband also arrived, offering a different account of what had happened.
She says she was too frightened to speak openly about the attack while he was present.
She worried about her children growing up without their father.
Eventually, Brooks approached Immigration with her husbandโs passport and provided a sworn statement withdrawing her support for their marriage. She says officials acted approximately two months later and that she was eventually able to pursue a divorce after he left the country.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐. ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ.
๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐
Today, Brooks describes a life that once seemed impossible.
She has secured a three-bedroom HDC apartment, completed training in Gel-X and polygel nails, and found a partner whom she says loves and respects her and her children.
Most importantly, she has rediscovered her confidence.
Her childhood dream of opening a beauty salon remains alive.
She is grateful to have watched her children grow up and to have another opportunity to pursue that dream.
But the memories remain.
And when she hears reports of other women being set on fire, she knows the consequences can be fatal.
โIt hurts to see women are not taken seriously,โ she says.
She warns that abusive partners do not always reveal themselves immediately. Affection and apologies can be followed by repeated violence.
Her message to women is to recognise the warning signs, value themselves and seek safety.
Yet Brooksโs own experience demonstrates why leaving cannot simply be reduced to the words just walk away.
She tried.
She went to the police. She sought refuge. She appealed to family. She turned to her church.
๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ.
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฆ?
Brooksโs testimony demands more than sympathy.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐. Repeated reports should trigger serious investigation, danger assessments, protective measures and follow-upโnot advice to pray harder.
๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. Prayer can offer comfort, but it cannot replace protection. Religious leaders should help victims find safe accommodation and professional support, not pressure them to return to danger.
๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐. A daughter seeking refuge needs to be believed, supported and protectedโnot reminded to endure her marriage.
๐๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐. When an injured woman arrives with a partner who may be responsible for her injuries, confidential screening, documentation and safe referrals can make a crucial difference.
And policymakers must ensure that protection orders, emergency accommodation, legal assistance and ongoing support are accessible before a crisis becomes a tragedy.
Under Trinidad and Tobagoโs domestic violence legislation, married and cohabiting partners can seek protection orders. Living with an abuser does not, by itself, disqualify someone from seeking legal protection.
Brooksโs story illustrates the gap that can exist between rights on paper and protection in practice.
๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐
Latoya Brooks does not want to be remembered only as the woman whose husband allegedly set her on fire.
She is a mother, a survivor and an aspiring businesswoman who still believes her future can be better than her past.
โI am thankful to be alive to tell my story and to see my kids grow up,โ she says.
But not every woman gets that opportunity.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐.
๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ.