Czech photographer compiles heartbreaking images of mothers on the run

In the Czech Republic, there are currently more than 200 shelters for women that provide a temporary residence for more than 3000 mothers and their children, many of whom have escaped abusive relationships.

Victims of domestic abuse often flee on the spur of the moment, ending up at a shelter with only a few bare necessities with them.

To document their plight, the Tereza Maxová Foundation and acclaimed Czech photographer Tomáš Třeštík compiled a series of heartbreaking pictures last year based upon that relatable premise: the few possessions a mother has with her when she arrives at a shelter.

Using the real-life objects brought to shelters, Třeštík put together striking compositions that paint a picture of mothers on the run during one of the most difficult periods of their lives.

His work is currently being featured as part of a week-long summit about violence against women at the European Parliament in Brussels.

After the death of her first husband, Lenka began a relationship with a partner who turned jealous and abusive. She now lives in a shelter with her two young sons.

Katka has a two-year-old daughter, a five-year-old son, and a partner with a history of alcoholism and abuse. She fled after he was physically abusive with her son, who ended up in the shelter with a broken leg.

Eva found herself on the street with her 2-year-old son after an argument with her partner, who took out several loans in her name that she could not repay. Her 10-year-old daughter still lives with her father.

Jana became pregnant at 18 after escaping an abusive father, only to wind up with an abusive partner who threw her and her infant child on the street.

Petra fled an abusive partner carrying only a plastic shopping bag along with her twin sons, six years old.

Helena quickly fled her relationship after it became increasingly abusive, and now lives in a shelter with her young daughter.