AS someone who knows what it is like to live in fear of your partner, I know that having access to money can make the difference between life and death.
I can only imagine what it must be like for survivors of domestic abuse who want to leave but either have very little money or no way of accessing the money they do have.
That is why I campaigned as a proud Patron of Women’s Aid for an emergency fund for survivors.
I couldn’t be happier to say that the fund is now open for applications through Women’s Aid’s network of member services across England and Wales.
Thank you so much to the readers of The Sun for backing this important campaign that will help save lives.
And thank you to the government for listening to survivors of domestic abuse, who alongside me, told you how much this was needed.
From today there will be a £300,000 fund that will help survivors experiencing financial hardship flee their abusers, as part of the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan.
Survivors will receive £250, or £500 if they have children or are pregnant.
Local services across England and Wales can refer survivors to the fund, for women and men experiencing abuse.
I know – from my own experience – that not every woman living with an abusive partner will have access to her own bank account, so survivors will be able to get support in a number of different ways.
To make sure that this fund goes to those who most need it, local domestic abuse services can refer survivors who are having a particularly tough time financially.
This fund will help the most vulnerable, including those who have no or very limited access to any money at all, including migrant survivors who cannot access public funds and who otherwise might go back to their abuser.
Leaving an abusive partner isn’t easy, far from it.
I know what it is like to be scared, to have PTSD, to have anxiety and to summon up the strength to leave and start again.
I promised my Dad on his deathbed that I’d leave my abusive partner, but it took ten years and it was one of the biggest things I’ve ever done.
Everyone thought money wouldn’t be an issue to me, but controlling my money was part of the abuse and I did not have access to my own bank cards.
There are survivors out there today who are summoning up the courage to leave, but they can’t afford the basics for themselves and their children when leaving.
This fund will make all the difference.
