Australia is offering money to help victims leave violent partners

From Tuesday, victims can apply for a payment of 5,000 Australian dollars ($3,700), which includes cash and direct payments for expenses such as school fees.The scheme is open to all genders. However women are expected to make up the bulk of applicants in a country where one woman is killed by a partner According to the government, two-thirds of women who experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner during the pandemic said the violence had started or increased during the crisis.Lockdowns prevented many women from leaving abusive relationships — and now, even as Crooks, from Victorian Women’s Trust, said as hard as it is for White women to leave a violent home, embedded biases in the criminal justice and policing systems make it even harder for Indigenous women.The $5,000 Escaping Violence Payment is part of a women’s safety package worth $1.1 billion Australian dollars ($820 million) announced by the government in May. UnitingCare Australia, the agency tasked with administering a two-year trial program, said it was receiving calls and messages about how to apply even before applications opened Tuesday.But while the payment will go some way to helping women escape violence, the amount is a fraction of estimates of how much victims pay to find safety.In 2017, the Australian Council of Trade Unions found it cost an average of $18,000 Australian dollars ($14,000), including hiring a lawyer and moving company, as well as setting up a new home with food and appliances. The ACTU said that cost is likely to be even higher in 2021.