The Committee is looking into the financial implications that women face when leaving an abusive relationship.

Police Scotland recorded 61,934 incidents of domestic abuse in 2022-23; their figures also recorded that more than 80% survivors of this abuse were female.

Abuse can take different forms. Sometimes, women are hurt by economic abuse. This means an abuser restricts a person from getting, using, or keeping money. In 2020, a domestic abuse organisation for women called Refuge found that more than 8 million adults in the UK have faced economic abuse. On average, survivors of economic abuse who find themselves in debt owe £3,272.

Women in abusive relationships may also struggle with the cost of living, which may prevent them leaving the relationship. In 2022, Women’s Aid reported that almost three-quarters of women living, and having financial links, with an abuser said the cost-of-living crisis made it hard for them to leave.

A more recent report from Women’s Aid found that it could cost a survivor almost £50,000 to leave an abuser.

The Committee wants to learn more about:

• the support local authorities give to women leaving abusive relationships
• how rules and practices related to the public sector and social security take account of the financial issues women can face when leaving abusive relationships
• how much information and advice is available from public bodies and charities