Halle Berry has branded her child support payments "extortion" in an apparent swipe at Gabriel Aubry.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry

The 54-year-old actress was ordered to pay the 44-year-old model $16,000 a month in 2014 to help with their daughter Nahla, now 12, and she has suggested she doesn't think the payments are "reasonable" and called for both parents to take financial responsibility for their children.

Earlier in the week, Halle had shared a meme on Instagram which read "women don't owe you s***", attracting a lot of comments from her followers.

And in response, the 'Cloud Atlass' actress - who didn't mention Gabriel by name - wrote: "It takes great strength eryday to pay it. and BTW it’s wrong and it’s extortion !

“i’ve been paying it for a decade now. i feel if a woman or man is having to pay support that is way more than the reasonable needs to help SUPPORT the child, i think that is wrong !

“i understand some parents (man or woman) may need help, but i also feel in these modern times both men and women have the responsibility to financially take care of their children and work hard and make every effort to do so.(sic)"

Halle - who also has seven-year-old Maceo with ex-husband Olivier Martinez - believes the law allows some parents to abuse the system to get more money for themselves.

She wrote: "the way many laws are set up, people are allowed to USE children in order to be awarded money to live a lifestyle that not only did they not earn, but that is way above and beyond the child’s reasonable needs and that is ‘THE WRONG’ and where i see the abuse.(sic)"

The 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' star went on to brand child support laws "outdated" and insisted they "no longer reflect the modern world.”

She added: “i can say i’m living it everyday and i can tell you it’s hard. i do totally understand the feelings of those men who feel they are and have been taken advantage of by the system.(sic)"