FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC ABUSE
Almost all domestic violence relationships involve financial abuse.
Likewise, when entangled in the terrorism of financial slavery, one of the hardest things to do is walk away from the abusive circumstance, especially when we don’t have the financial, economic or stabilizing support of our friends and family.
Since the primary tenets of Domestic Violence have always been to procure and maintain power and control over targets, without the strength of resources in place that help those affected walk away from the volatile relation or group, they are more likely to remain trapped within the confines of the relationship.
Financial and Economic Abuse involves an intimate partner preventing, controlling, or sabotaging access to economic resources, ultimately forcing economic codependence within the relationship by preventing the victim from being able to either acquire or utilize the necessary economic resources to sustain and support themselves financially.
ECONOMIC ABUSE CAN LOOK LIKE
· Illegally using or taking your property, valuables, or any resources that help your sustain yourself.
· Committing identity theft to use your identity to purchase unauthorized items, open bank accounts or receive lines of credit in your name.
· Acts of sabotage to diminish stability or your ability to secure or maintain working schedules. This can also include showing up at work places to harass, cause a scene, or otherwise make trouble for you in an effort to cause you to get fired or diminish your professional reputation.
· Acts of cyber-terrorism where electronic resources are destroyed or made to malfunction causing economic hardship.
· Destroying other property or valuables used to procure financial stability to cause economic hardship.
· Enthralling you in con games or other activities that seek to financially defraud or steal the valuables or resources used to sustain yourself.
· Running up bills in your name.
· Ruining credit scores by illegally eliciting sensitive information to initiate financial frauds.
· Stealing Your money.
· Putting you on strict allowances to prevent you from any autonomy outside of dictated directives of the relationship, or forcing you to beg for money or resources to survive.
· Acts of harm or terrorism to force you to give up all your resources.
· Forcing chronic homelessness and destabilizing circumstances to prevent you from navigating outside of survival mode or being able to use your resources for anything other than bare necessities.
The Thick Of It
There is so much more to domestic and intimate partner violence than just physical, or psycho-emotional abuses.
Predatory or otherwise vampiric people seek to destroy their victims in so many ways, with the primary one, being to strip away and diminish access to and control of finances and the economic stability and strength necessary to foster independence and freedom from the harmful relationship.
Economic and Financial predators also seek to enslave their victims by forging total dependence on them. Shelter, food, and clothing or other necessities that provide financial or economic strength to the victim is significantly diminished to forge total dominance.
Economic Abuse is known to foster infantile regression in victims, as many of us are forced to adopt the attributes of puerile, by being forced to beg for resources or help in attaining our survival needs within the relationship.
THE NUMBERS
Statistics Show That
· Higher than 90 percent of all Domestic Violence Victims have also suffered from financial or economic exploitation.
· Financial Abuse is the primary reason victims stay in abusive relationships.
· Workplace productivity decline accounts for nearly 1 trillion dollars in wages and revenues lost due to domestic violence.
REVELATIONS
Financial abuse usually happens subtly at first, with the abuse gradually increasing over time to push and force victims into submission within the relationship, with many failing to realize they are in financially abusive relationships.
It should be noted that any and all actions that intentionally aim to manipulate, intimidate, threaten, or entrap a victim into an unhealthy or abusive relationship by way of denying or sabotaging access to financial freedom or decision making is financially or economically abusive, and is one of the most powerful methods of keeping a victim trapped within an abusive relationship.
Financial or economic violence supersedes all socio-economic, racial, and gender identity boundaries, making it one of the most volatile methods of violence.
The effects of financial and economic abuse are devastating, and can even last for years after victims leave, as they seek to rebuild their lives from the harmful financial entanglements or financial devastation caused by an abuser.
Still yet, for those who do manage to escape the abuse and survive initially, many victims are faced with the overwhelming odds of obtaining long-term security and safety for themselves and their families.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STAY SAFE
Plan - Developing a safety plan can help you leave an abusive relationship safely. There are Domestic Violence Coalitions that can also help you develop a plan so that you can acquire the necessary resources you need to move forward in untangling yourself from economically abusive relationships. Likewise, if there are friends and family who know your circumstances, and can help you in your efforts confidentially, it may be beneficial to seek their help in your plan to leave.
Store Emergency Cash Or Funds - In a safe place for when you need them.
Obtain Copies Of All Your Identifying Information - Such as birth certificates, social security cards and state identification or drivers licenses. You may need them to re-establish yourself once you leave or if you are planning to leave the relationship.
Diminish Localities - By enacting caution concerning your whereabouts or location. For instance, you can direct mail to a post office to restrict access to yourself.
Obtain Copies Of Credit Reports - And monitor your credit regularly to prevent and likewise adequately address any fraudulent activity.
Contact Utility, Telephone, And Financial Providers - To secure your information with special security codes or pin numbers.
Change Email Passwords, ATM and Debit Card Pins - Or other banking and security related passwords and telephone numbers.
Resources
The AllState Financial Freedom Safety Plan Program Can Be Found Here
For Information On resources In Your State, The WomensLaw.Org Website Can Be Found Here.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline Resources Can Be Found Here.