A mum-of-three said she was stuck in an abusive "cycle" for "16 years" due to her ex-partner.
Tracy, 42, whose name has been changed to keep her anonymous, said her partner would "lure her in" using her children. Tracy, who has three children, all in education, said the fact she could not afford to provide for them herself added to her stress - with mounting school uniform costs only adding to the difficulties she faced.
Tracy, who works as a healthcare professional in the North West, told the ECHO: "It was like a cycle, my ex knew that the kids are expensive. He used my kids to lure me in, he would come back home and do stuff for me and them and I would let him in again.
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"When he would come back I always thought it would be different. The domestic abuse included financial abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse - all of that."
Yet, Tracy "still had to pay for everything" when her ex-partner's promises would fall through. She said that she is still in debt after having to borrow money to provide for her kids.
She said: "I was already in debt. I've lived in debt for this long because I had to pay everything for my kids. Even when my ex-partner was around, I still had to pay for everything.
"It just pushed me further into debt.
"My kids are my world, they're all I have left. They're my pride and joy and for all the torture I've been through over the years they're worth fighting for."
Tracy finally broke the cycle last July but soon found herself in poverty, with her previously acquired debts mounting and only a part-time job to help provide for her children.
She said she "dreaded" the beginning of the school term, when her three children - aged 10, 12, and 17 - would all be leaving for school or college. She said she feared having to go further into debt to pay for new uniforms for her kids, as was required by their schools, and other costs related to school such as stationary.
It's a similar situation for many other families across the North West. In Liverpool, 91% of parents are at least slightly concerned about the cost of sending their child back to school in September, according to a survey by ASDA. 26% of local parents surveyed said they were "very concerned."
Tracy went to a charity working with victims of domestic violence and their children, for help. She was then referred to Buttle UK, a charity that provides aid for children in need, including for parents who can't afford to equip their kids properly for school, which can cost them hundreds, especially as they enter a new school.
"I wouldn't have been able to buy their uniforms at all, I only work part time.
"I've got three children. My eldest went off to college then so I needed help to buy her things that she needed, not just uniforms, so it was a massive help.
"The support I got from Buttle gave me the boost at the time that I needed to stay away, and I was very, very helpful especially at that time while emotions were going on, when me and my family was lost.
"It gave me a lot of piece of mind, it really brought down my whole level of stress. School uniforms are really, really expensive, especially if someone has more than one kid.
"When we left the emotions were high, the kids would look at me and say can I get this, can I get that and not being able to say yes, or even maybe, was horrible. The help was huge and I can't thank them enough."
ASDA is running a £250,000 school uniform campaign to help struggling families pay for their kids' school needs. They have teamed up with Buttle UK to help provide for those who need it most.
Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK, said: "The cost of living crisis is impacting us all, but buying school uniform – something that should be a great equaliser for children – is creating extra stress for those on the lowest incomes.
"We are delighted to be working with George at Asda on this campaign. Please consider making a donation to help give a child a uniform they can be proud of."
You can find out more, or donate here.
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