{"id":4819,"date":"2020-05-11T09:42:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T16:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dixonsociety.ca\/?p=4819"},"modified":"2020-06-10T17:36:53","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T00:36:53","slug":"what-is-economic-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dixonsociety.ca\/what-is-economic-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Economic Abuse?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Picture this scenario, which is one that happens more than you might think: There\u2019s a room available at Dixon for Jane and her two kids, who are trying to flee a home where they are experiencing abuse, but now there’s the matter of getting from that unsafe home to the transition house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane has only a ten-dollar bill in her purse. That is just enough to pay for bus fare for her and her kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband has been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is almost always at home. Having watched him for a few weeks, she knows that he takes a nap for a couple of hours each afternoon. If she is quick, she may have enough time to prepare her kids\u2019 things and catch the bus to Dixon, as long as there are no further disruptions to service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

It takes a tremendous amount of bravery to leave a violent situation for a place you’ve never seen in person, especially if you have to use up the only cash you have in your name in order to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one might ask, why does a grown woman with two children have only ten dollars to her name? In this blog post, we cover a topic that is known as the invisible form of violence against women: economic abuse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is economic abuse?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Economic abuse, sometimes called financial abuse, is when someone tries to take or control the money, property, or personal information of another person. Economic abuse revolves around creating a relationship of dependence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abusers might start by claiming that taking total control over finances is a way of making their victims\u2019 lives easier. They might argue that allowances are necessary to keep the household on track. Then they might gradually decrease the allowance until their victims are asking them for the money they themselves earned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the effects of economic abuse can be devastating and long-lasting. Spotty employment records from years of abuse may hinder a woman\u2019s ability to find stable employment. Many women find themselves responsible for debts their abusers accumulated in their name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse yet, acts of abuse may continue even after a woman\u2019s relationship with her abuser has ended. Scorned husbands might drag out divorce proceedings in order to cripple their wives financially. Fathers might refuse to pay child support in an effort to bully mothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Economic abuse during a pandemic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Times of economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may be used as justification for instances of economic abuse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some abusers might prevent women from purchasing supplies needed for work, deeming it \u201cnon-essential.\u201d Others might try to assume full control over financial decisions, stating that they\u2019re trying to \u201ctake some of the pressure\u201d off of their partner working on the frontlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on the other hand, abusers might pressure women to sacrifice their career to undertake more domestic labour, or vice-versa. That might look like an abuser forcing a woman to take time away from work, whether from home or not, in order to take care of children, who are now also staying home due to the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of\neconomic abuse <\/h2>\n\n\n\n