Sarah* is a softly spoken woman in her 30’s and a mother of school aged children. Sarah – not her real name - is also a survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her partner.
She says her ordeal began when she was pregnant with her first child.
“The nature of that abuse was grabbing and squashing around my pregnant stomach. My fear at the time was my child and their safety,” she tells SBS.
“I didn't seek any advice, I didn’t tell anybody. I was too scared.”
Sarah hoped the abuse would lessen over time - it didn’t.
“The physical abuse continued throughout my other pregnancies, grabbing body parts like my arms, so that I couldn't leave.
“My children still do suffer significant emotional damage and trauma.”
Sarah* is restarting her life. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, of almost 800,000 women who experienced violence by a previous partner since the age of 15 and were pregnant during the relationship. Of those, 42 per cent experienced violence during their pregnancy.
“It is completely devastating really to [a woman’s] sense of wellbeing," says Karen Bevan CEO of sexual, domestic and family violence response and recovery service FullStop Australia.
“Violence during pregnancy also increases fears for the baby. And when someone's pregnant and subjected to violence, they can feel responsible - for the pregnancy, for the welfare of the baby, and sometimes they often feel like they caused this.”
Sarah experienced worsening abuse for almost five years before she reached out for help.
“My first point of call that evening was to a family member and then following that was to police. Upon leaving, I didn't have any work.”
Melanie Greblo is Founder and CEO of Scriibed. Source: SBS / Spencer Austaad
As a mother who has separated from a partner, Ms Greblo knows first-hand how hard starting over can be.
“Like many people who separate, particularly when it's a tricky separation, at times I felt really anxious, as if my nervous system was on high alert all the time. I felt depressed at times and at times really hopeless.
“So I know that learning new skills at any time in life can be daunting. But it is particularly hard for women who have experienced trauma and are perhaps coming from a very low skill base.”
Her startup called Scriibed provides digital services to small and medium businesses, using artificial intelligence. It also gives flexible, remote work to women facing barriers to employment and economic participation.
“The digital economy is growing, and will continue to grow. There are skills shortages, and these are jobs of the future.
"So, developing a pipeline of talent for that future workforce is critical right now.
“And for women leaving [abusive relationships] financial independence is key. If women are plunged into poverty, which is often the case when they leave violence, they are in a cycle of abuse.
"Migrant and refugee women face particular challenges such as the threat of losing residency or visa status. The language barrier is huge, and social isolation can also be huge.
"However, many survivors are ready, willing, and able to work. But they may be single mums juggling children at home and childcare, and sometimes the way work is structured is not fit for purpose for them.
“So some either return to violence or they're living in poverty, and their children living in poverty. It is very hard to lift out of that.”
Scriibed is among more than 800 social enterprises certified by Social Traders, which advocates for business that give back.
Tara Anderson is CEO of Social Traders. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
“These jobs are long-term career outcomes and career pathways that not only impact the women themselves, but their families, their communities, and society more broadly.”
Social Traders works to enable business and government to create positive impact by deeply integrating social enterprises into their supply chains.
“In the last six years, $ 843 million was spent with certified social enterprises. By 2030, we'd like that to be $5.5 billion. That would create 44,000 jobs for people like marginalised women as well as migrants, refugees, people with disability,” Ms Anderson says.
Backed by government and philanthropic funding, Scriibed is expanding nationally, providing online training and a range of resources for women in cities and rural areas.
“Our not-for-profit arm is called Banksia Academy, and that's really the engine room of upskilling, reskilling, training and education for these women, particularly around digital skills and platforms that they may not have used, some very basic digital literacy,” Ms Greblo says.
“And we offer other personal and professional development opportunities in our virtual hub which helps women restart their lives by increasing their self-esteem, and self-confidence.”
Ms Greblo aims to support 150 women into employment over the next four years, and says results are already on the board.
“Since August 2023, we have delivered over 850 hours of digital skills training for women in the hub. And we've so far had employment outcomes, where women have transitioned into employment at scribed or with an employer partner.”
Sarah is gradually rebuilding her life and is proud to be on the road to financial freedom.
“I've been able to slowly get back into the workforce. To have that extra money to afford groceries and the rising cost of living and everything has been incredibly helpful.
If you or someone you know wants to talk about family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.
