Women's Views on News |
| Posted: 28 Jan 2016 02:20 PM PST
One in 5 people in the UK have experienced financial abuse in an intimate relationship. Financial abuse can take many forms, but however it is done, it is a way of controlling a person's ability to acquire, use and maintain their own money and resources. And if any of these situations feel familiar, you may be experiencing financial abuse. Does anyone: Prevent you from working, or stop you from going to work? Prevent you from going to college or university? Ask you to account for every penny you spend? Check your receipts or bank statements so they can monitor how much you are spending? Keep the log-in details, bank cards or PIN numbers for your joint account so that you cannot access the account? Spend money allocated to bills for other things? Steal, damage or destroy your possessions? Spend whatever they want, but belittle you for spending any money? Insist on control of all financial matters? Insist that all the bills and loans are in your name? Make you ask permission before making any purchase, no matter how small? Make significant financial decisions without you (e.g. buying a new home, car)? Place debts in your name? Steal money from you, or use your bank card without permission? Withhold child maintenance payments? Initiate expensive post separation legal battles knowing you cannot afford to fight, or will bankrupt you? Last year, Refuge and The Co-operative Bank joined forces to carry out the UK's largest study to date to uncover the true scale of financial abuse within intimate partner relationships. The research, led by academic Nicola Sharp-Jeffs at the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University, found that: 18 per cent of all adults in the UK have been a victim of financial abuse; Victims span gender, age and income groups; however, 60 per cent of all cases are reported by women; Financial abuse in relationships against women also lasts for a longer period of time compared to men, with 78 per cent of women saying their abuse went on over five years compared to 23 per cent of men; For women, financial abuse rarely happens in isolation – 86 per cent experience other forms of abuse; and One third of financial abuse victims suffer in silence, telling no-one. Refuge and The Co-operative Bank have now launched a campaign – ‘My money, my life’ – aiming to shine a spotlight on this often overlooked form of abuse of domestic abuse and call for an industry-wide agreement so that banks support people who experience financial abuse in their relationships. Based on this research the "My money, my life" campaign will inform those experiencing financial abuse about their rights and enable them to make positive choices about their own financial future. Refuge has also produced a financial guide as a support resource for women who have experienced financial abuse. This guide provides information about agencies that can offer support and it takes you through some of the steps you may want to think about to regain your financial independence and re-build your life free from abuse. And Refuge will be working with The Co-operative Bank to push for change in the banking sector by making a series of recommendations on how the banking sector could positively support the victims of financial abuse in relationships. The Co-operative Bank is committed to implementing key recommendations, looking to positively support victims of financial abuse by working with the banking industry in an effort to: Develop a code of practice to guide financial institutions so there is consistent response to the disclosure of intimate partner financial abuse; Develop awareness-raising materials for customers and guidance about how to recognise and cope with financial abuse in relationships; Train staff to respond appropriately and create referral pathways to access specialist support; and Develop a system where victims who need to report this kind of abuse don't need to tell their story repeatedly, which can be traumatic. There is more information about domestic violence and how to rebuild your life following financial abuse on Refuge's website. And you can help. We need your help to raise awareness of financial abuse in relationships. You can help by talking about it with friends and family and by spreading the word on social media. If you want to get more involved with the campaign follow #mymoneymylife on Twitter. You could also ask your bank what they are doing, and draw their attention to this campaign. Thanks. |
| Posted: 28 Jan 2016 02:09 PM PST
According to the last World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, the UK has slipped from the 18th position to the 26th in terms of women’s equality. And 44 per cent of women have experienced a form of male violence, 9 out 10 of lone parents are women and the gender pay gap is still 19 per cent. Women are still invisible in the main leadership roles, from media – only 2 of the 18 major national newspaper editors are women – to politics – women ministers are only 22 per cent in the current government – to the economic world – according to the FTSE index only 25.4 per cent of women are company’s directors. And current austerity policies are forcing women to pay off the majority of the deficit. In the previous government we paid off 79 per cent of the UK deficit compared with the 21 per cent paid by men – see A Fair Deal for Women’s website for this data and to see sources related to women’s inequality. And behind each one of these numbers there's a story, a personal life. There's a woman facing cultural, social and economic barriers and often a women’s organisation supporting her to shape a new life. The Women Speak Out project is gathering women's personal stories to show how current policies affect their real lives, making it harder in both public and private contexts – from work to education, from health and wellbeing to safety, from immigration to family life, being a carer, being a pensioner. Women Speak Out is a video project: we want to film women who have experienced disadvantage and inequality. Perhaps you haven't been able to access legal aid, or you're scared you'll lose out on cuts to your benefits, you've experienced pregnancy discrimination, or you're suffering from homelessness. Please get in touch with Florence if you would like to tell your story, or if you work with women who would be interested in joining in. We will provide media training so you gain the skills and confidence to speak to journalists, and challenge decision makers if you wish to. We hope that if enough real live women speak out about the issues facing them and the government policies they worry about, women can take control of their own narrative at a time when much of the media and government rhetoric is negative and damaging – and can challenge decision-makers. |
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