"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."
Other national survey findings include:
- More than three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) believe the poor economy has made it more difficult for victims of domestic violence, and two-thirds (66 percent) believe it has caused an increase in domestic violence.
- 44 percent say the most difficult barrier to leaving an abusive relationship is financial security.
- Almost 60 percent of Americans don't see a connection between harassing a partner at work and economic abuse, even if it may cost the victim their job and ultimately limiting income.
