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Health & Fitness

Economic Empowerment Combats Domestic Violence

By now, most everyone is aware of the fact that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, however, most people do not understand the different types of abuse that people can suffer from.  Although physical or psychological violence is what is most talked about, there is another type of abuse that often times keeps victims with their abusers.  That is economic abuse.

Economic abuse is when a woman (most victims are female, but males can also be affected) are not allowed access to their families income.  Often times they do not have access to bank accounts, the mortgage is in her husband's name as well as credit cards.  She has never had to manage money on her own, get an apartment, apply for a credit card or hold a job.  

I witnessed the effects of economic abuse (as well as physical/psycological) when I worked as a public interest law paralegal.  My position included screening calls from individuals looking to get probono legal assistance.  Time after time, during the screening when it involved a woman who was seeking a divorce from an abusive partner, she had no access to money and was faced with the realization that in order to receive free legal services she had to be indigent.  That sometimes meant moving out of her comfortable house, neighborhood, giving up her possessions and leaving friends and family.  

One of my standard questions would be who controls the money in your family?  Most often, that answer was the husband and the woman realized starting divorce proceedings would mean she would have no income of her own. 

One thing to keep in mind, especially during October but all year round, is that abuse in any form can happen to anyone.  Abuse doesn't discriminate by gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.  For example, at a public hearing hosted by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, I heard testimony of an abuse victim who for years was forced to sleep on the floor by her husband.  This woman was Caucasian, attractive and lived in Wellesley in a beautiful home.  However, in order to escape her abuser, she had to leave behind everything (except her children) and move into a shelter to receive help.

As sobering as this is, there are ways to help women (and men) understand the signs of economic abuse and take steps to combat it.  Several organizations have information or courses dealing with economic abuse or other forms of abuse.  For more information, please visit Jane Doe, Inc. (www.janedoe.org), or for information specifically related to economic abuse visit the Allstate Foundation website (www.clicktoempower).org. 

Here in Malden, the Zonta Club of Malden is working on a project to raise awareness of domestic violence through the Zonta Says No campaign.  The Zonta Says No campaign is an international campaign to end violence against women. As a proud member of the Zonta Club of Malden, I can say that we have many projects planned to raise awareness of physical, sexual, and economic abuse. I will post more information on this campaign, but in the meantime for more information, please visit the Zonta Says No website (www.zontasaysno.org).


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