Cost of living crisis a matter of life and death for victims of domestic abuse
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THE cost of living crisis is a matter of life and death for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, according to a Scottish charity.
Scottish Women's Aid says soaring energy and food costs, along with a decade of stagnant wages, an inadequate social security safety net and the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women provide tools for abusers to entrap women.
The charity has launched its CostOfLeaving campaign and called on the Scottish Government to keep its promises to those experiencing domestic abuse during the cost of living crisis.
In December 2020 the Scottish Government accepted a recommendation to explore options for a dedicated fund to support women leaving an abusive partner but it is yet to materialise.
Under the Domestic Abuse Protection (Scotland) Act 2021, police and courts were power to remove abusers from the home and gave social landlords greater control to transfer tenancies to a victim-survivor, upholding a woman’s right to remain in her home. However, the charity says 18 months since the legislation was passed the measures have not been implemented. Urgent action is needed on both, says the charity.
Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: "Women experiencing domestic abuse face a cost of living crisis every day. As do their children. With winter upon us and costs spiralling, without access to additional funds to support them, women must choose between staying with abusers or experiencing homelessness and destitution. We know that abusers are using women’s very real concerns about financial hardship as an additional means to control and isolate them. We are particularly concerned about increased opportunities for financial abuse, as abusers use crises as an excuse to establish or increase control over finances. All of this poses a very real risk to the safety and lives of women and children. Now is the time to act."
She added: "We know the Scottish Government shares our goal of ending men’s violence against women, but we are concerned that the needs of women and children experiencing domestic abuse have slipped down the priority list. Many women’s experiences of domestic abuse are directly tied to their experiences of poverty and the threat of destitution. Children’s and women’s needs must be a headline in Scotland’s response to the cost of living crisis, not a footnote explaining why they are an afterthought. Strong leadership and a demonstration of political will are required – we’re calling on the Scottish Government and Parliament to keep the promises they’ve made to women and children experiencing domestic abuse and take urgent action on practical steps that will help them."
