The Price of Safety: The Hidden Costs of Leaving an Abusive Relationship
Our Research Fellow, Shruthi Venkatachalam, attended a webinar hosted by Women’s Aid on the 9th of October 2024, which focused on the findings from their report, The Price of Safety. The report aims to highlight the financial challenges faced by victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) when they make the difficult decision to leave their perpetrator.
According to the Women’s Aid report, the average financial deficit for a victim-survivor stands at £10,000, with this figure increasing by 3.5 times in the most severe cases. Assuming the victim-survivor has full entitlement to state support, the total costs come to £49,000. Particularly concerning is the estimated health cost of £2,400, which victim-survivors must cover without any dedicated financial assistance. Unlike legal aid and the Discretionary Housing Fund, which help cover other expenses, no comparable support is available for health-related costs.
For victim-survivors with multiple sclerosis, these additional health costs raise serious questions. How much higher would the financial burden be when managing ongoing medical care alongside the costs of escaping abuse? The complexities of coping with a long-term health condition add another layer of difficulty to an already overwhelming situation, highlighting the urgent need for more comprehensive support systems.
For more information, please follow this link for the full report on ‘The Price of Safety’: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Price-of-Safety-Report-2024-Final-Version.pdf.