Meet Goranka, a woman who has experienced divorce, and representing herself in family courts. She is vocal about the lack of legal aid. 

Goranka has been married for 22 years, sacrificing her own professional life for her family and her husband’s career. When he left, the court ordered him to pay to her spousal maintenance. He paid only 5 months, and then he stopped. Since then Goranka has been representing herself in court – having spent all the money she had on the first trial – as she was not entitled to receive any Legal Aid.

"I was married for 22 years to a very successful man who worked in finance. I was a homemaker; mostly due to the fact we were moving to countries where I had no work permit. Although I am university educated and had jobs before marriage, I gave that up for the benefit of the family. In 2009, my husband got a promotion with the same company and we were to move to New York. Suddenly he started changing. I confronted him and he said there was somebody else and he said he was leaving the family. I learnt I was not eligible for legal aid because my husband had not physically abused me. The Citizens Advice Bureau only gives you three visits to get the advice. You can’t get more and you have an hour each time. We need to change things in family courts."

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: Safety and Justice