Escaping in the Middle of the Night

Dear Scott,

When I read your book three years ago I knew what I had to do. My husband had always had a temper, and in the back of my mind I knew I had to leave him.

With each Covid lockdown he got more depressed and more abusive towards me and my two girls. Last month we fled with just our overnight bags. It was all a blur.

This has been the toughest year of my life, but because of you I had a secret Mojo account that has allowed me to rent a tiny apartment and buy the essentials. We have financial security and personal safety. Thank you from the three of us.

Lisa

Hi Lisa

I’m so sorry for what your family has gone through.

Now we Barefooters are a big community, and I want to speak directly to the thousands of women who are reading these words and are currently living in a dangerous situation: you don’t have to wait to save up the money to cover the bare necessities, but you do need to have a support team around you before you go.

Speak to a financial counsellor (1800 007 007) about getting the basics in place. In many cases the counsellor can organise things quickly, including crisis payments, temporary accommodation, basic necessities, and dealing with your bank (they don’t advertise it, but I’ve found the banks do a bloody good job supporting women).

Family violence affects one in six women — of every age, in every wealth bracket, and in every suburb. Each year it feels like the rates of reported family violence get worse, but thankfully the help available gets better too.

Scott.