Anastasia’s family mourns a lost life of promise

Anastasia Slastion was found dead in a Greystanes home owned by her boyfriend Isaac Costa’s parents on February 25. Police allege Costa attacked her during an outburst while heavily intoxicated. It is alleged that, although paramedics were called to assist her, Ms Slastion’s injuries were too severe and she could not be revived. Costa was arrested at the scene and charged with her murder. In the days following her murder, Ms Slastion’s extended family across Europe, Russia and Latvia were alerted to her tragic death. Her cousin Violeta Samsonova, who lives in the UK, said she and the rest of her extended family were struggling following the shock of Ms Slastion’s death.“This is such an emotional pain for our family,” she said in an online post. Ms Slastion, originally from Latvia, spent many years in Russia before moving to Australia to work with a Sydney-based software company. Ms Samsonova noted her cousin’s intelligence in a heartfelt tribute, saying she couldn’t believe Anastasia was gone. “She was such a beautiful, super-intelligent, talented girl,” Ms Samsonova said. “She had her whole life ahead of her.” Another one of Ms Slastion’s family members said she had worried about the young woman being alone in Australia without any friends or family.Police are looking into whether the pair met on a dating app as part of heir investigations, which they have named Strike Force Alimah. Costa did not apply for bail during his first court appearance on February 26, and he remains on remand in custody. He is yet to enter pleas to the charges against him.WE HAVE TO GIVE HOPE BACK TO WOMENKatie (not her real name) once had a home and an ­investment property but when she had to flee an abusive relationship with her child, she thought she’d have to sleep in her car.There was no safe house available then but, more than a decade on, Katie is using her experience to help others escaping domestic and family violence.She’s an ambassador for St Vincent’s Clinic’s Open Support program, which has recently started building a state-of-the-art safe house that will help more than 100 women and children each year.The facility in Western Sydney will provide eight individual apartments, enabling women to regain their independence while rebuilding their lives.Open Support’s DFV program manager Karen Devins said it was a game-changer because it would provide wraparound support for women and a child wellbeing program that offers specialised trauma care.It also offers those supports to women from culturally diverse communities who are non-residents, and therefore often not able to access these services — sometimes with tragic consequences.The new safe house will complement the existing DFV services Open Support provides, including crisis accommodation.“The statistics are alarming, and over the last month things have gotten worse — refuges across Sydney are full, there’s no vacancies,” Ms Devins said.“I don’t know whether it’s after Christmas, cost-of-living pressures, but there’s a lot of coercive control, a lot of gaslighting.The physical violence is worse, there’s more stalking and intimidation.“That’s why the new safe house is so vital.”It’s for women like Sarah (not her real name), who’s receiving support after leaving a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with nothing but the clothes on her back and a baby in her arms.“I took all the abuse, the pushing, the insults and isolation — but one day he pushed me while I was holding the baby,” she said.“I called the police, and ran out the house with my child. Two hours later the police had arranged with the service for me to get accommodation, it was a blessing.”DT app download info factboxIt took time, too, for Katie to build a new life for her and her daughter.“If you have a career, if you have property and funds — even if you can’t access either — then you don’t fit the mould of what a domestic violence ‘victim’ should be,” she said. “But there’s no mould.“When I left with my child I was on the verge of displacement, of having to live in my car. I didn’t have access to my assets or my funds and I struggled to get support. I wish I’d had access to a safe house then.”Open Support received a grant to fund the new facility, however a rise in construction costs since the pandemic means an extra $800,000 is needed to complete the build so it can open its doors mid-year.Ms Devins said it was about providing longer-term support because the mental trauma took longer to heal.“When they come to the front door you can see absolute relief they have somewhere to go,” she said. “But their eyes remain vacant.“Later, you see the light come back to their eyes, the colour coming back to their face … they’re starting to have some hope.”Donations can be made at www.opensupport.org.au

from Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/UW6td7r

March 17, 2023 at 11:30PM
https://ift.tt/Zw05GpO
Anastasia Slastion was found dead in a Greystanes home owned by her boyfriend Isaac Costa’s parents on February 25. Police allege Costa attacked her during an outburst while heavily intoxicated. It is alleged that, although paramedics were called to assist her, Ms Slastion’s injuries were too severe and she could not be revived. Costa was arrested at the scene and charged with her murder. In the days following her murder, Ms Slastion’s extended family across Europe, Russia and Latvia were alerted to her tragic death. Her cousin Violeta Samsonova, who lives in the UK, said she and the rest of her extended family were struggling following the shock of Ms Slastion’s death.“This is such an emotional pain for our family,” she said in an online post. Ms Slastion, originally from Latvia, spent many years in Russia before moving to Australia to work with a Sydney-based software company. Ms Samsonova noted her cousin’s intelligence in a heartfelt tribute, saying she couldn’t believe Anastasia was gone. “She was such a beautiful, super-intelligent, talented girl,” Ms Samsonova said. “She had her whole life ahead of her.” Another one of Ms Slastion’s family members said she had worried about the young woman being alone in Australia without any friends or family.Police are looking into whether the pair met on a dating app as part of heir investigations, which they have named Strike Force Alimah. Costa did not apply for bail during his first court appearance on February 26, and he remains on remand in custody. He is yet to enter pleas to the charges against him.WE HAVE TO GIVE HOPE BACK TO WOMENKatie (not her real name) once had a home and an ­investment property but when she had to flee an abusive relationship with her child, she thought she’d have to sleep in her car.There was no safe house available then but, more than a decade on, Katie is using her experience to help others escaping domestic and family violence.She’s an ambassador for St Vincent’s Clinic’s Open Support program, which has recently started building a state-of-the-art safe house that will help more than 100 women and children each year.The facility in Western Sydney will provide eight individual apartments, enabling women to regain their independence while rebuilding their lives.Open Support’s DFV program manager Karen Devins said it was a game-changer because it would provide wraparound support for women and a child wellbeing program that offers specialised trauma care.It also offers those supports to women from culturally diverse communities who are non-residents, and therefore often not able to access these services — sometimes with tragic consequences.The new safe house will complement the existing DFV services Open Support provides, including crisis accommodation.“The statistics are alarming, and over the last month things have gotten worse — refuges across Sydney are full, there’s no vacancies,” Ms Devins said.“I don’t know whether it’s after Christmas, cost-of-living pressures, but there’s a lot of coercive control, a lot of gaslighting.The physical violence is worse, there’s more stalking and intimidation.“That’s why the new safe house is so vital.”It’s for women like Sarah (not her real name), who’s receiving support after leaving a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with nothing but the clothes on her back and a baby in her arms.“I took all the abuse, the pushing, the insults and isolation — but one day he pushed me while I was holding the baby,” she said.“I called the police, and ran out the house with my child. Two hours later the police had arranged with the service for me to get accommodation, it was a blessing.”DT app download info factboxIt took time, too, for Katie to build a new life for her and her daughter.“If you have a career, if you have property and funds — even if you can’t access either — then you don’t fit the mould of what a domestic violence ‘victim’ should be,” she said. “But there’s no mould.“When I left with my child I was on the verge of displacement, of having to live in my car. I didn’t have access to my assets or my funds and I struggled to get support. I wish I’d had access to a safe house then.”Open Support received a grant to fund the new facility, however a rise in construction costs since the pandemic means an extra $800,000 is needed to complete the build so it can open its doors mid-year.Ms Devins said it was about providing longer-term support because the mental trauma took longer to heal.“When they come to the front door you can see absolute relief they have somewhere to go,” she said. “But their eyes remain vacant.“Later, you see the light come back to their eyes, the colour coming back to their face … they’re starting to have some hope.”Donations can be made at www.opensupport.org.au