Each year, thousands of women in Australia experience abuse at the hands of an intimate partner. Many who flee a relationship face barriers re-entering the workforce.

Certified social enterprise Scriibed that offers flexible, remote work is helping survivors of domestic and family violence towards financial freedom.

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. 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. 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.”

It’s that issue that entrepreneur Melanie Greblo is working to change. Two years ago, Ms Greblo set up a social enterprise that supports vulnerable women including those who have fled domestic and family violence.

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."

Scriibed is among more than 610 social enterprises certified by Social Traders.

“Social enterprises like this create outcomes for women that give them the chance to take control of their own lives again,” says Tara Anderson, CEO Social Traders.

“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.

This is an excerpt of the full story published by SBS News: Melanie is helping women restart their lives after feeling domestic violence

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.