For victim-survivors of financial and economic abuse, navigating the pathway back to financial security can be a job in itself, particularly in the current cost of living climate.
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre has today launched a new report, which highlights the abundance of obstacles faced by victim survivors who are simply trying to get back on their feet.
The report indicates the increasing need to dismantle these obstacles and implement changes to create streamlined pathways to stability and security.
Economic abuse has been outlined as an urgent, persistent problem that is impacting Australian women.
It’s prevalence was shown in a 2022 Australian report, which found that one in 30 women, and one in 50 men experienced this form of abuse in a single year. It often coexists with other forms of abuse, such as physical and sexual violence.
Executive Director of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre, Sally Stevenson said this new report is a ground-breaking one.
“It maps out, through the unique experiences and insights of women in the Illawarra, what the pathways are to gain financial security and independence after you’ve experienced this type of abuse,” Mrs Stevenson said.
“There are so many challenges and barriers to securing safety, it’s quite mind blowing.”
One of the main focus group participants included in the report is single mothers, who head 12.7 per cent of all families with dependent children in Australia.
The report has found that poverty rates for single-parent households has risen from around 23 per cent in 2013, to 33 per cent in 2022.
“The fact that so many women have to choose between violence and poverty is just an unacceptable situation in 2025,” Mrs Stevenson said.
“Women should not be trapped in a cycle of violence and abuse, especially where the systems can be weaponised against them by the perpetrators.”
Data has shown that more than 168,000 parents in Australia’s child support system failed to lodge tax returns last financial year, which has been outlined by the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre as a common method used to avoid paying for child support.
Sally Stevenson is calling on a response from those who are in power.
“I think there are many hands that need to receive this report, and many eyes that need to read it,” she said.
“Firstly the government, then the financial systems and institutions within those sectors, service providers, and women themselves.
“We need them to understand that we are working with them to try and simplify and accelerate their pathway to safety and security.”