Some domestic abuse victims ‘forced to stay as cost of living soars’

A campaigner against domestic violence on Friday warned that mounting financial pressures and a lack of affordable housing are forcing some victims to remain with their partners.

The chair of Advocates Against Domestic Abuse (AIDA), Barbara Daniel-Goddard, told Barbados TODAY that for victims whose earnings are at the lower end of the income scale, a lack of affordable housing and financial constraints were the main reasons they chose to stay with their partners.

She said: “The challenge we find is that rents are high…For us as an organisation, the bulk of our clientele are persons who are earning $24 000 a year. The average rent is $1 000 a month, and although your landlord may pay water, you still have to pay for electricity.

“Bus fares are very expensive and some women are spending $14 a day getting to work and if you are only bringing home $2 000 a month, paying bus fare, your rent is $1 000, your electricity bill will be over $100 and then food and children et cetera, you will see why some women will stay in abusive relationships because they financially cannot afford to leave.”

The advocate stated that those who found cheaper rental accommodation in rural areas were often left facing transport issues.

“Then you have problems getting children to school, and by the time you do that, you are worse off,” she said. “There is no point in moving into an area where the house is affordable, because you still have to find the money for all the other things, so when you calculate you are not in a better position.” 

Suggesting that domestic abuse appeared to be growing on the island, Daniel-Goddard said that calls to their 24-hour hotline have increased over last year’s and many of the requests for help came from those who were financially dependent on their abusive partners.

As AIDA hosted a Speak Out Reach Out rally in Golden Square Freedom Park to raise awareness of the issue on Friday evening, the chair stressed that while in Barbados, victims could seek a court protection order against their abusers, it was necessary to go further and provide a safe place for these individuals to live temporarily.

“We also need transitional homes as if you have nowhere to go, you cannot leave that relationship,” she said. “You may not be able to go to your family as they may be overcrowded, or to your friends, because while they may be willing to put you up for a week, they won’t be able to put up with you and your children for weeks. We need places where women can escape. Most of the women who come to our organisation are looking for safe housing. They just want to leave and get on with their lives”.

Suggesting that safe havens could be provided by the National Housing Corporation, Daniel-Goddard added: “You will need to put the resources in place where persons are there temporarily for around six months, but the resources are also there to help them find some place where they can live long-term. So it is not just putting people in a place, but putting the backing behind that. If not, it will not work.” (JB)