Last Friday, I attended the launch of The Cost of Domestic Violence to Women’s Employment and Education at the University of Technology Sydney. Written by the renowned researcher and writer Anne Summers, this report lays bare how domestic violence and coercive control disrupts women’s financial independence and long-term security.
The event also featured a dynamic Q&A with Jess Hill, journalist, author, activist and advocate extraordinaire, whose expertise in domestic violence issues added depth to the discussion, highlighting the need for systemic change.
As I sat in the standing-room-only audience, one question kept running through my mind:
What tangible steps must institutions take to ensure they don’t just acknowledge this crisis, but actively intervene?
Expert Insights on a Pressing Issue
Anne delivered a keynote exposing the economic toll of domestic violence, showing how abuse limits women’s access to employment and education. Jess’s insightful questions deepened the conversation, stressing the urgent need for systemic change.
Their discussion underscored a chilling reality: leaving isn’t just about physical safety—it’s about digital and economic safety, too. If an abuser can still track a survivor through hacked accounts or control their finances, they remain trapped.
The Hard Numbers: What the Report Reveals
The report’s findings confirm what many survivors already know: domestic violence locks women out of economic independence.
- Employment Disruption: Women who have experienced domestic violence have an employment rate 5.3 percentage points lower than those who haven’t. Financial abuse and coercive control further limit their ability to secure stable income.
- Education as Collateral Damage: Many women are forced to abandon their studies due to abuse, further limiting their economic independence. The report shows that women who have experienced domestic violence are significantly less likely to complete a university degree than those who haven’t. This education gap widens throughout their 20s, and by age 25, survivors are 15% less likely to have attained a university degree. These disparities have lifelong consequences, restricting career opportunities and financial security.
- Coercive Control and Digital Surveillance: A growing number of abusers use technology-facilitated coercion to monitor, intimidate, and restrict their partners—from tracking apps and spyware to financial control and hacked accounts.
The report makes it clear: economic security is one of the biggest barriers to escaping domestic violence. And if institutions don’t take proactive steps, they are complicit in maintaining the status quo.
The Crucial Role of End-to-End Encryption
As we contemplate these challenges, the critical role of cybersecurity—particularly end-to-end encryption—becomes glaringly apparent.
Survivors of coercive control often face digital surveillance, forced account access, and online monitoring, making encryption not just a cybersecurity measure, but a life-saving tool.
Institutions must prioritise encryption in their digital safety initiatives, ensuring that survivors can:
✔️ Access support services securely, without fear of being monitored.
✔️ Communicate with legal, financial, and mental health services safely.
✔️ Regain digital autonomy in a world where abusers increasingly weaponise technology.
Survivors don’t just need protection—they need secure autonomy over their communications, finances, and digital lives.
Reflections on Actionable Solutions
This isn’t just about awareness—it’s about action. Institutions that claim to support women must walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
Here are five practical, immediately implementable steps that workplaces, universities, and unions must take to proactively combat domestic violence and coercive control:
1️⃣ Establishment of Digital Safety Clinics
Universities, workplaces, and unions should collaborate to offer regular digital safety check-ins where individuals can:
✔️ Secure their devices from tracking apps and spyware.
✔️ Review and strengthen privacy settings on work and personal accounts.
✔️ Learn about secure communication tools, like end-to-end encrypted messaging, to protect themselves from cyberstalking and coercive control.
✔️ Understand the warning signs of digital surveillance and how to respond.
Every institution must commit to making digital security a non-negotiable right. These clinics must be practical, confidential, and institutionally backed, providing survivors with the immediate tools to secure their digital independence.
2️⃣ Comprehensive Support Systems That Recognise Coercive Control
Support systems must go beyond the basics. Many institutions offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or generic counselling services, but few are tailored for survivors of coercive control. Institutions must provide:
✔️ Specialist legal assistance for women navigating financial and digital abuse.
✔️ Psychological support that understands the long-term impact of coercive control.
✔️ Emergency interventions that provide real, tangible pathways out—including financial assistance and secure housing options.
It is no longer enough to say “help is available”. That help must be structured in a way that makes it truly accessible to women facing complex, tech-enabled abuse.
3️⃣ Policy Overhaul: From Compliance to Survivor-First Protections
Policies that react to incidents are no longer enough. Institutions must proactively design out the loopholes that abusers exploit. This means:
✔️ Regular compliance reviews to ensure policies account for coercive control tactics, not just physical abuse.
✔️ Ensuring data-sharing policies protect survivors, preventing abusers from exploiting privacy loopholes.
✔️ Flagging high-risk patterns—such as repeated password resets or location-sharing updates—just as financial institutions flag fraud.
4️⃣ Training and Awareness: Recognising the Signs of Domestic Violence and Coercive Control
Workplaces, universities, and unions must actively train staff, leaders, and support teams to recognise the warning signs of both domestic violence (DV) and coercive control (CC). Abuse doesn’t always leave bruises—digital surveillance, financial restrictions, and psychological manipulation can be just as damaging.
5️⃣ Unions as Advocates for Digital and Workplace Protections
Unions have historically played a key role in advocating for workplace protections. This must now extend to digital safety and coercive control awareness. They should:
✔️ Ensure workplace policies account for DV and CC protections, including digital abuse considerations.
✔️ Push for survivor-first employment policies—allowing employees to change work emails, request payroll confidentiality, or flag an abuser’s interference.
✔️ Advocate for institutional commitments to survivor support, ensuring that affected employees and students are not left vulnerable.
The Time is Now to Act
This report isn’t just another study—it’s a wake-up call.
It’s not enough for institutions to acknowledge this crisis. They must act. Policies must be rewritten. Digital security must be prioritised. Support must be proactive, not reactive.
The cost of silence is too high. Inaction is complicity.
We have the tools. The only question is—do we have the will to use them?
📖 Read the full report here: The Cost of Domestic Violence to Women’s Employment and Education
About the Author: Kim Chandler McDonald
Kim Chandler McDonald (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and CEO of 3 Steps Data, driving data/digital governance solutions. She is the Global VP of CyAN, an award-winning author, storyteller, and advocate for cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, compliance, governance, and end-user empowerment.
🔗 Connect with Kim on LinkedIn: Kim Chandler McDonald