DV and economic abuse not recognized as connected, says Allstate

June 29, 11:16 AMDomestic Violence ExaminerTrudy Schuett

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While 70 percent of Americans know people who are or have been victims of domestic violence, nearly the same percentage of Americans fail to see a connection between domestic violence and "economic abuse," according to a new national poll released by The Allstate Foundation.

Economic abuse is a tactic commonly used by abusers to control their victims' finances and prevent them from leaving a dangerous relationship. However, the survey also revealed nearly eight out of 10 Americans link economic abuse to Wall Street woes or irresponsible spending.

"Many people associate domestic violence with physical cuts and bruises, but bruises on your credit score and being cut off from access to money create lasting scars that make it hard, if not impossible, for abuse victims to recover," said Jennifer Kuhn, manager of the Economics Against Abuse Program at The Allstate Foundation. "For victims of domestic violence, economic abuse is much more personal - and dangerous." To better educate Americans about this often overlooked aspect of domestic violence, The Allstate Foundation provides the following signs to recognize economic abuse:

-- Taking money, credit card or property from a partner without their permission

-- Racking up debt without a partner's knowledge

-- Purposely ruining a partner's credit score

-- Forbidding a partner from earning money or attending school

-- Being forced by a partner to hand over paychecks

-- Cancelling insurance or credit cards without the partner's knowledge

-- Harassing a partner at work to negatively impact a job

"A downturn in the economy impacts us all, but it disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable members of society, including domestic violence survivors," said Rene Renick, director of programs and operations at The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). "Now more than ever it's important that domestic violence survivors build economic skills to overcome financial instability, a major barrier to escape and stay out of an abusive situation." The Allstate Foundation, in partnership with NNEDV, recently developed a Financial Empowerment Curriculum to help victims achieve financial independence. More at CNBC  

Full text of poll (PDF) here

[NOTE: This is yet another women-only program. NNEDV promotes divorce as the only solution to the problem, in itself a major financial disaster for many. -- Ed.]