Image credit - Mika Baumeister — *Image credit -* *Mika Baumeister*

Domestic violence is a global problem that persists across all levels of society. Despite attempts by governments and NGOs to address it through legislation and activism, abusive relationships and traumatic experiences continue. The same reasons why people cannot leave come up again and again. These include shame, denial, lack of self-confidence, and fear for safety. But the most common reason why victims of domestic abuse do not leave these relationships is because of their economic dependency on an abusive partner.

Victims of domestic abuse are often so tied up financially with their partner they’ll stay within a relationship to make sure necessities are covered. These necessities include clothing, food, and transportation. Some survivors cannot get treatment for their injuries as they do not have the necessary funds to go to a hospital.

Grace Accra, who spoke to ActionAid, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty, said that her partner used to assault her in public and private. Still, she could not leave the relationship because she relied on her partner financially. Grace's experience is far too common worldwide, but especially prevalent among those who live in poverty.

According to Women's Aid, an organisation that tackles domestic abuse, one in five women have been unable to leave an abusive relationship at some point in their life because they had no money. The same proportion of people also said that financial abuse left them unable to manage their money. Shelter, which tackles homelessness, found that almost half of homeless women were homeless because of domestic violence. This data shows that the lack of financial independence traps people in abusive relationships, and has broader effects such as making it difficult for victims to manage money and creating homelessness.

The pandemic has only made this issue of domestic violence more urgent. Incidents of femicide have doubled in the UK from one every four days to one every two days. In June Refuge, which helps women and children who experience domestic abuse, reported an 80% surge in calls. These patterns have emerged across the world, with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterre highlighting a "horrifying global surge" in domestic violence.

Yet as we all wait for a vaccine and for our lives to return to normal, domestic violence persists. Even worse, governments make no mention of how to solve this crisis. While the authorities are static on this issue, women and domestic violence victims are voicing their concerns. These concerns are highlighted most explicitly by Turkey's anti-femicide protests, the growing anti-femicide movement, and the #ChallengeAccepted trend. We can see there is a clear will to address domestic violence at a grassroots level. However, what is needed is for this will to be projected in some sort of way.

That is where universal basic income comes into play.

For far too long we have seen universal basic income through a single lens, which is that this policy can only reduce economic inequality. Yet it is an idea that goes beyond any single issue. There is a lot of research that points towards the lack of economic independence as a core reason people do not leave abusive relationships. However, what is not being discussed by governments and NGOs is the relationship between universal basic income and domestic violence. What universal basic income can do is provide a way out for those suffering from abuse. Victims of violence will no longer rely on abusive partners for their basic needs as they can provide for themselves with their UBI.

Not only that, a universal basic income destroys financial barriers that domestic abuse victims have experienced for a very long time. Introducing this policy creates a gateway for the likes of Grace and many others who have suffered in traumatic relationships. Survivors can create a new life for themselves using the money. They can spend their UBI on services such as counseling, a new house or take time to recover from their experiences rather than going straight into work. It can also have a potential broader effect in reducing women's homelessness.

Critics of universal basic income may suggest that there are already resources out there for those suffering from domestic abuse. However, these schemes, such as Universal Credit, have failed too many individuals, including domestic violence victims. The Trussell Trust began the #5WeeksToolong campaign to highlight how long it takes for those in abusive relationships to receive their first Universal Credit payment. What this shows is that existing schemes are not fit for purpose and take far too long to provide funds to those who require them. Furthermore, these schemes do not provide enough money for people to leave abusive relationships. We need a system that provides funds to those in need quickly, and a design that covers an extensive range of circumstances.

Universal basic income is that system.

It is now up for us to project this message.

More about the author

UBI and Domestic Violence

Hamish Hallett - @mish2497