The cost of freedom: Domestic abuse survivors forced to stay with abusers amid rising cost of living
It took seven years for Abigail to break free of her abusive relationship, but as the cost of living crisis deepens there are concerns others may not be able to break free.
More than three-quarters of domestic abuse survivors (77%) are finding it harder to escape these relationships, the charity Refuge has warned, as people are forced to choose between remaining with their abusive partner or risk destitution.
For almost a decade, Abigail (not her real name) was subjected to physical, mental, financial and sexual abuse – with the attacks becoming so violent on one occasion, she miscarried.
“The last resort for me was he drugged and violently raped me,” she told Sky News.
“And I think for me that was a wake-up call – because I could hardly walk. I just thought this person could kill me.”
But with her abuser’s name on the house, she was reliant on him financially and had to go to court to get him to take his name off the house.
“Simply put – I wouldn’t have been able to leave my abuser if this crisis was happening when I was trying to flee 10 years ago,” she said.
“I felt trapped as it was. One of the elements of abuse he used against me was financial. Alongside the physical and emotional abuse this economic abuse had a big impact when it came to leaving, he controlled everything.”
Abusers taking advantage of crisis
More than half of the frontline staff at Refuge said the cost of living crisis is leading survivors to return to their abusers.
Abigail’s partner would whisper in her ear: “He tried to tell me I was crazy. I couldn’t live without him.”
Refuge’s specialist technology-facilitated and economic empowerment team has seen an 87% increase in referrals for support with complex cases – they say this can be directly linked to the impact of the crisis.
The charity said it will need an additional £1m to address the growing costs of running its specialist services.
It warned perpetrators are also taking advantage of the cost of living crisis to increase economic abuse and control.
Some perpetrators restrict food and heating in an attempt to gain custody of children on the basis that survivors simply cannot afford to maintain a warm home and enough food.
Even seven years ago, setting out on her own was a struggle, said Abigail.
“At one point, I had £1.25 on my electric meter,” she said, adding that at one point she had to pay £1,500 in court costs towards the prosecution of her ex-partner.
He still owes Abigail thousands in child support.
As Christmas approaches, Abigail wants only the best for her four children – who were witnesses of the abuse – and has opened an Argos and Very account in a bid to afford presents.
“I have never had any credit cards before,” she said.
“I want to make sure my children have everything they want and need, but at the same time, I am already stressed when I think about how I am going to pay that off.”
Completely forgotten
One anonymous Refuge frontline worker said: “It feels like survivors of domestic abuse have been completely forgotten about in this crisis. I have clients whose financial situation is so difficult since fleeing that they are considering returning to their abuser.
“They are reliant on food and clothes banks, they have cancelled and cut back anything and everything they can, to be able to afford to pay their bills. This is having such a detrimental impact on survivors’ mental health and wellbeing.
“Some women are really worried about losing access to their children, they tell me that perpetrators are using this cost of living crisis to further their abuse, something we know as post-separation abuse.
“We are doing everything we can with the funding we have to support survivors – we are giving out more foodbank vouchers, more regularly and to more residents who are repeatedly requiring them, but this has led to foodbanks raising with us that they cannot repeatedly give out vouchers.”
Read more: Woman ‘trapped’ with abusive husband due to soaring energy prices
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What is coercive control?
Calls for emergency escape fund
Refuge has called on the government to create an Emergency Domestic Abuse Fund to help survivors flee their abusers. It welcomed the government uplifting benefits in line with inflation but implored it “not wait until next April to make this vital change”.
Ruth Davison, the charity’s CEO, said: “Survivors and their children are struggling now, and they need urgent action to weather the storm of price increases this winter. No one should be left choosing between ongoing abuse and violence or poverty and hunger.
“The reality is that nothing has changed for women and children experiencing domestic abuse in the autumn statement.”
The fund, she added, would ensure “no woman has to choose between financial stability and her physical safety”.
Some 94% of emotional abusers escape conviction, according to Home Office data – despite the fact incidents of controlling and coercive behaviour are on the rise.
The average cost of a divorce in the UK – including legal fees and lifestyle changes, such as needing to find new accommodation – is £14,561, a devastatingly high amount for people who may not have access to their own money.
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Figures from Surviving Economic Abuse and Money Advice Plus found 67% of survivors are already in a negative budget or have less than £100 surplus at the end of the month. They also have an average individual debt of £20,000 – six times more than in 2020, and it’s expected to get worse.
Shanika Hayes, a senior associate at Stowe Family Law, told Sky News: “They may not have their own employment, and even if they find themselves in a situation where they can leave and have their own source of income, their confidence is normally at the point where they feel like they are not worthy of that, or are not able to sustain that.”
For both men and women, the crisis is placing a strain on relationships that can see them edge into abuse.
“Financial issues can be a catalyst to abuse and it’s often the case that this is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Ms Hayes.
“Financial worries, whether that’s how they pay bills or increases to cost of living, that can worsen a relationship that is already abusive, or push one into that territory.”
Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be reached on 0808 2000 247, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for free, confidential specialist support.
A maternity expert behind a key 2022 report has told Sky News she is “angry” over government inaction after a landmark inquiry found good care “is the exception rather than the rule”.
Donna Ockendon, whose report in March 2022 listed 15 areas for “immediate and essential action”, said families have been “let down” by failure to improve services across England.
Then-health secretary Sajid Javid pledged to “make the changes that are needed” following that report.
But this week, an inquiry into birth trauma found there was “shockingly poor quality” in maternity services, resulting in a system where “poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal”.
“If we look at the issue that underpins the delivery of all safe maternity care – which is funding, workforce and training – we’ve made really disappointing progress on that,” she said.
“Warm words are no longer enough, action needs to happen and it needed to happen a long time ago.”
Ms Ockendon, who is currently investigating failures at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, said progress on maternity care has been “wholly insufficient” in the 26 months since her report.
She said a minimum of £200m to £350m was needed immediately at the time her report was published, but only £180m has been spent in total so far.
The figure needed today – after inflation “ravaged” the economy – could be as much £1bn, she said.
This funding shortage compounds the strain on staff, she said, citing a Royal College of Midwives claim that staff are working 100,000 hours in unpaid overtime each week.
That has now risen to 118,000 hours, according to her understanding.
“We are significantly less than halfway where we should be in terms of finance,” she said.
“Without finance, we can’t grow our workforce.”
‘Some more equal than others’
While many will still be cared for properly, she said, there is a “postcode lottery” when it comes to quality, with ethnic minorities particularly affected.
“Some women are more equal than others, it would seem,” she said.
There are “persistent inequalities” in outcomes for women living in depravation, she added, and there are “so many inequalities that are persisting”.
“The government promised swift action,” she said, adding she is due to meet health minister Victoria Atkins in around six weeks.
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‘Much more work to do’ on maternity care
Read more:
Minister sorry as birth trauma report finds ‘shockingly poor quality’
Grieving parents who lost son during birth demand nationwide guidance
Each year, around 30,000 women will suffer a negative experience before, during or after delivery, according to this week’s inquiry results.
Led by Tory MP Theo Clarke and Labour MP Rosie Duffield, the Birth Trauma Inquiry considered evidence given by more than 1,300 women and called for a national plan to improve maternity care.
“Behind all of these numbers are accounts of lives that have been changed forever,” Ms Ockendon said.
“I do hear, on a daily basis, accounts of lives that have been torn apart, changed, and I can’t put them back together again.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I am determined to improve the quality and consistency of care for women throughout pregnancy, birth and the critical months that follow, and I fully support work to develop a comprehensive national strategy to improve our maternity services.
“We are now investing £186m a year more than in 2021 to improve maternity and neonatal care, and we announced an extra £35m at the Spring Budget to boost maternity safety, with more midwives and better training.”
UK
Almost 900 sexual offences committed by people on bail – as charities warn of ‘disastrous consequences of broken courts’
Almost 900 sexual offences were committed between 2020 and 2022 by people on bail, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
A Freedom of Information request by Sky News found the figure totalled 887 for the three years and had risen annually, with 184 offences committed in 2020, increasing to 326 in 2021 and 377 in 2022.
Sky News was refused the data for 2023 ahead of broader crime statistics being published on Thursday morning, and has now been told to submit another FOI request to access the information – meaning at least 20 days until the figures are revealed.
However, the trend indicates the number of offences is likely to have tipped over the 1,000 mark for the four-year period.
Charities and legal professionals warned the numbers were a “disastrous consequence” of a “broken” court system, which is seeing those on bail facing record delays before their cases are heard, putting them “at risk of reoffending for extended periods”.
The statistics come after claims defendants deemed “lower risk” could be released on police bail without a court hearing as part of emergency measures triggered on Wednesday to tackle prison overcrowding – with hundreds of bail hearings being delayed in case the defendant is placed on remand but has no prison cell to go to.
An MoJ source told Sky News it would be a decision for the police if they chose to release someone, not an order from the department.
But with police cells being used to house prisoners in overcrowded areas – another emergency procedure triggered last week – there could be pressure to make room.
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The chief executive of The Survivors Trust – a national organisation helping rape and sexual abuse support services – said people who had been attacked by those on bail felt “let down” by the government.
“There can be a lot of fear exactly around that happening,” Fay Maxted told Sky News. “Many, many survivors [of sexual offences and other crimes] report them because they want to protect others.
“They’re not driven by revenge or anything, but they are wanting to make things better and hoping to make the community a safer place.
“So it’s devastating to then find that actually the person that you made the report about is out and about and in the community.”
Read more:
Should courts sit 24/7 to tackle backlogs?
‘I felt like I was really on trial’ – the human cost of court backlogs
Ms Maxted laid much of the blame at the door of delays in the court system, leaving people on bail for longer, and “creating a lot of disastrous consequences”.
“People can be questioned and then released on bail, and it might be a year, it might be two years before they appear in court,” she said. “It’s really unacceptable. We’ve got a broken system at the moment.
“And I’m not always sure that everyone appreciates the impact of sexual violence and abuse – the potentially lifelong impact on someone’s health and well-being.”
The charity chief’s concerns were backed up by the Criminal Bar Association, who said the figures showed “a systemic failure” of government to fix court delays.
Analysis from the organisation used the average time for a rape trial with a bailed defendant to conclude after charge as an example – saying it had risen 80% in five years to around 18 months, with many court dates now being fixed in summer 2026 for charges made last year or early in 2024.
Case backlog in crown courts since 2010
Chair of the CBA, Tana Adkin KC, told Sky News: “The number of sexual offences committed by those on bail for previous untried offences more than doubled between 2020 and 2022.
“This indicates a systemic failure to deliver on a core government duty to protect all citizens from harm.”
She pointed to a lack of investment in the criminal barristers required to prosecute and defend cases saying, without it, charges could not be “swiftly tried” in court and there would be “dire consequences for the innocent unable to clear their name and the culpable at risk of reoffending on bail for extended periods”.
Ms Adkin added: “Years of underfunding in the criminal justice professionals tasked with ensuring offences once charged are litigated has real-life consequences for defendants, witnesses, complainants and victims as well as their families, all caught up in the historic delays in our criminal courts.”
Chair of the Criminal Bar Association Tana Adkin KC
The Survivors Trust is calling for sexual offences to be tried in a court with a panel of judges and lay-people advisers to help victims through the process, as well as speed it up – and Ms Maxted believes this would also cut down the number of offences committed while people are on bail.
“You wouldn’t want a situation where there are unfair trials,” she said. “There has got to be a process where everyone is able to present their case.
“But at the moment we are leaving victims vulnerable and then leaving communities vulnerable and the statistics are proving this.
“If someone’s already been arrested and then released on bail and then they re-offended, how much more do they have to do to prove that they are a danger in the community?”
The MoJ statistics revealed through Sky News’s Freedom of Information request also showed 7,693 offences of violence against a person – ranging from assault to murder – were committed between 2020 and 2022 by someone who was on bail.
And there were a further 17,243 theft offences, along with 1,137 robbery offences, and 411 incidents of criminal damage and arson.
The figures will come as an embarrassment to a department already under pressure over its handling of not just the courts system, but the prison service as well.
As well as the changes to bail hearings mentioned above, ministers have issued orders that prisoners serving sentences of less than four years be freed up to 70 days early from this month, among predictions male institutions could be full by June.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak said no one would be released “if they were deemed a threat to the public” or had committed a “serious offence”.
But Labour accused him of “misleading” the Commons, pointing to fresh reports from the chief inspector of prisons that some prisoners who had already been let out were a “risk to children” and had a “history of stalking, domestic abuse, and being subject to a restraining order”.
Sky News has approached the Ministry of Justice for comment.
UK
Tyson Fury says undisputed heavyweight clash is ‘D-Day’ for him and Oleksandr Usyk as they won’t be able to compete in another era
This weekend’s undisputed heavyweight clash is “D-Day” for both fighters, Tyson Fury has warned, as he renewed his verbal feud with his opponent.
The British boxer is set to face off against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
While he had nothing but praise for his boxing, ahead of the estimated $240m clash, he restated that he regarded Usyk as “an ugly little rabbit dosser”.
The long-awaited fight will see the unbeaten rivals face each other for the first time as well as an undisputed champion crowned for the first time since 1999.
The fight was originally scheduled for February, but had to be pushed back after Fury suffered a “freak” cut on his face.
With the fight just a few days away, tensions have ratcheted up after an incident at a hotel during a media day this week saw Fury’s dad, John Fury, appear to headbutt a member of Usyk’s entourage.
Speaking to Sky News’s Jacqui Beltrao, Fury said that the fight was his and Usyk’s “D-Day” due to their age.
He said: “I think we’ll find out on Saturday whose destiny it is, mine or his.
“We both can’t have the destiny of being the undisputed in this era, and we won’t be young enough to go into another era undisputed.
“So it’s D-Day for both fighters.”
Fury spoke out ahead of the fight this weekend
Fury and Usyk square off in a press conference. Pic: Reuters
‘Another day at the office’
However, despite the gravity of the event, Fury said he was unbothered by the pressure and described it as “just another day in the office”.
Having already achieved his childhood ambition of becoming heavyweight champion of the world, Fury said he had been “riding the wave of that” ever since.
Fury said: “For me, it’s just another day in the office, I’m here to get paid… and go home.
“It’s never been about belts and all that sort of stuff, all that sort of stuff is based on someone else’s opinion.
“For me it’s about getting my money, going home, walking the dog, doing the school run, just being left alone really.
“I’m not interested in going into movies and having a successful career after boxing.”
However, he had a few choice words for his opponent, Usyk, despite describing him as a “good fighter” and “accomplished boxer”.
“I’ve never said Usyk isn’t a good boxer, I’ve called him an ugly little rabbit dosser. That’s what I’ve called him. But I’ve never said his boxing was bad,” Fury told Sky News.
However, Fury admitted his days fighting in the UK were likely behind him – due to what he claimed were the lengthy delays getting a bout organised and off the ground in his home country.
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Tyson Fury’s dad clashes with Usyk’s team
Despite Fury’s strong words, Usyk has claimed he isn’t being drawn on anything said this week.
“I’m doing good, I’m happy and I’m hungry. I don’t care how Tyson will be this week. I’m ready,” he said.
He continued: “For me 18 May is important, what Tyson does in the press conferences doesn’t matter.”
Read more from Sky News:
Premier League clubs to vote on whether to scrap VAR
Soap, shampoo and toothpaste considered ‘luxury items’ in UK
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
How to watch the fight
Ring walks for the main fight are expected to take place at 11pm on 18 May, with coverage of the build-up starting at 4pm on Sky Sports Box Office.
Two hours of the undercard are also available on Sky Sports Action from 4pm.
The main event will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office HD.
The event is £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and €27.95 for Sky (and Virgin Media) customers in the Republic of Ireland.
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