The cost of living crisis is going to be devastating for the women and families we support. Many survivors of domestic abuse experience economic or financial abuse, which leaves women and children destitute or reliant on their ex-partners when they flee abusers. Some survivors Solace work with are unemployed or working less than 15 hours and often do so for many reasons: they may be dealing with trauma as a result of years of abuse, creating security for their children who may have had to move school or nursery or navigating complex systems to get legal advice, open bank accounts, search for a home.
Solace, like other violence against women and girls’ charities set up to support women and help them stay safe, are seeing the impact of increases in living costs on the women they support, their services and staff.
- 92% of survivors have already reported being negatively impacted by the cost of living crisis.
- 31% of survivors have reported increased levels of debt.
- 23% of survivors are struggling to meet childcare costs.
- 20% of survivors report that the crisis is being used as a tool of abuse.
- Over half of survivors have had essential resources restricted by their abuser.
- 1 in 4 survivors worry that the abuse could get worse in the next 6 months as a result of this crisis.*
“The cost of living crisis is going to impact women disproportionately. It’s going to force women to stay in very unsafe situations. It’s crucial that if a woman is going through domestic abuse that she does seek support, that she doesn’t just suffer in fear, alone. We are out here and we are here to support you.”
Judith Banjoko, Interim CEO
We have launched our Cost of Poverty appeal film featuring staff, volunteers and ambassadors a short video highlighting the issues facing women and girls and their fears for them this autumn and winter.
Thank you to Kirsty Malcolm and Roll Nine Productions team for producing.
Watch our appeal video here.
Read our Key Asks to Government
*We surveyed 141 service users in Sep/Oct 2022 – these statistics are based on those results.