Ten years and $200,000: the cost in Australia of protecting a child from an abusive ex-partner

‘The look of terror in her eyes at times, you never want to see that in your child’s eyes.’ Photograph: Fahroni/Alamy

When Caroline left her husband after years of emotional, financial and physical abuse, she thought she and her toddler were finally free.

But it was only the start of a new kind of trauma – the world of family law proceedings.