One in six women have experienced physical violence by a partner since the age of 15. On average, one woman a week will die at the hands of her partner.
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And if a woman leaves the relationship, there's a 40 per cent chance the abuse will continue. Which is why support during this time can be a matter of life and death.
In the ACT, there are avenues of support for low-income victims of domestic violence. But for women in the middle income bracket, there are fewer options available.
These domestic violence survivors make up a "missing middle" in Canberra.
In 2016, the Snow Foundation, along with Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG and PwC, held community round tables which determined that access to finance was a key factor in a woman’s decision to leave, stay in or return to an abusive relationship.
These results were the catalyst for the Assistance Beyond Crisis loans scheme.
In July 2017, the first loan was granted as a result of donations from the aforementioned businesses. Since then, 27 women* and 80 children have received financial help under the scheme.
These interest-free loans have helped survivors build new lives.
Women have been able to secure new homes and furnish them, afford medical bills, pay legal fees, and keep their kids in the schools they've been in since kindergarten. These are things we might take for granted, but things which help maintain a sense of normalcy and stability when exiting a tumultuous relationship.
Natasha Gunther, a microfinance co-ordinator at Care Financial Counselling, handles the approval of these loans. She says there is a common misconception about this "missing middle."
"There's a misconception about domestic violence survivors, that if you're earning a certain amount of money, you've got your life together. So for those in that situation, it can be hard for them to engage because there is that stigma," Gunther said.
"Just because these women are on generally higher incomes, it doesn't mean they can afford the same things they did when they were with their partner. Nine times out of 10 their financial circumstances are far more complex than this."
In her role, she's listened to many women's stories. And it's the toughest part of the gig.
"Some of it is horrific, and the injustice of it can be really frustrating."
Gunther has been able to share one story in particular, that of a 45-year-old Canberra loan recipient.
"I left my abusive husband last year, after years of torment towards me and my sons. That morning )(unbeknown to me at the time) he had drained all joint bank accounts. I had applied for legal aid for assistance with a violence order, and had been rejected due to earning 'too much,'" the woman said.
"It didn’t matter that my husband had taken it all, and left me paying all liabilities, they only saw the income.
"There are people out there who do earn 'too much' for assistance and are turned away, but what about the ones like me that didn’t see a cent of their earnings cause they had been lumped with debts, approved on the basis of two incomes?"
When considering loan applications - which Gunther usually receives via a referral from the woman's doctor or crisis centre - there are four main factors at play.
The recipient must earn a minimum of $50,000 annually, be in the ACT and surrounding NSW region, specify the purpose of the loan and be entirely out of the relationship.
*In the ACT, women are three times more likely to suffer violence at the hands of a partner than men. While all 27 Assistance Beyond Crisis loans have so far been provided to women, one man is currently in the process of receiving a loan under the scheme.
