Meet Alexandra, she is a survivor of domestic violence and has had to pay thousands in legal fees to try to get justice because she couldn't access legal aid. 

Alexandra is a personal trainer with two beautiful children who runs her own business. She is also a survivor of domestic violence. In the past few years there have been major cuts made to Legal Aid, and the government has created stricter criteria in order to be eligible.  In the aftermath of divorcing her abusive husband, Alexandra has had to take out two loans totaling thousands of pounds to cover legal and court fees, as she was unable to receive Legal Aid. Alexandra does not believe that the government has done enough to support victims of domestic abuse.

‘He had threatened me many many times that he was going to kill me and I thought that this the moment, the moment had now come. He did let go and I did survive. He would become very controlling, he would become very aggressive. I could see how he was sucking all the energy and all the life out of me. The attacks got worse and worse. At the time we were seeing this couples therapist he was a really really nice man and he said we only know what we are capable of when we do what we are capable of. The assumption is that you have to be living on the streets or on drugs to be abused. There is such a misconception of what a woman should be like when she experiences domestic violence. My councillor was very reassuring and it was nice to be listened to. I applied for legal help but because I ran my own business I didn’t get any help. This time not emotionally but financially. It would be really useful for women to have more support and faster support .’

Find out more about the Women Speak Out project and learn about women who've experienced inequality like this:

Women Speak Out

Women Speak Out: Work & Family

Women Speak Out: Safety and Justice