After escaping an abusive relationship, Lesley-Ann Parris thought her next boyfriend would treat her differently. She said she met him while in a vulnerable place.

"As soon as we met, it just turned into a relationship," Parris told CBC News. Shortly after, Parris says he started yelling at her, breaking doors and punched her in the face.

Parris, now 32 and living in Vancouver, says she felt too ashamed to confide in her mother when she was first abused, even though she was very close to her.

"Being a Black woman, I don't want her to see me weak or anything like that. I should be strong in these situations. I don't need her help," she said.

"It makes it so much harder to get the help that you need when you have these narratives in the back of your head." WATCH | Lesley-Ann Parris spe

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