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In most times when we talk about domestic violence, we tend to focus on physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Rarely does financial abuse come to mind. But why? Because financial abuse is less commonly understood or spoken about form of abuse. Sadly, this abuse or control of one’s access to family finances and assets is prevalent and occurs in up to 99 percent of domestic violence cases. So, why are we not talking about it?
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It may be impossible to assess the long-term toxic mental impact of the trauma resulting from COVID-19. It’s unprecedented and could have far reaching effects on people. There may not be enough and reliable data on previous high impact global traumatic incidences like the Spanish pandemic of 1918 or Ebola of 2014 -2016, that would inform how best to synthesize the impact of this latest trauma. We can only warn that all collaborative caution should be taken to mitigate its impact. Left unattended, any trauma could escalate, leaving untold misery in its wake.
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Healing from trauma or abuse can sometimes be a challenging journey. It is a gradual, ongoing process that involves focus and patience for one to come to a point of complete healing. But with the right self-care strategies and support, one can move past the trauma, rebuild their sense of control and self-worth, and come out stronger.
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“Why don’t they leave?” This is a common question when many people hear that someone is in an abusive relationship. Leaving may seem simple but it's never that easy. And here is why.
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Domestic violence is a global pandemic that continues to evoke devastating impact on survivors, their families and society at large. The responsibility is always put on the victim with the most common question being, why didn’t you just leave. Stigma and victim blaming make it difficult for victims to report and seek help. It is therefore, crucial for everyone to learn about domestic violence to better support victims and raise awareness.
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Are you looking for practical ways to better support a friend in an abusive relationship? Here are some five simple ways to start with.
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Gender-based violence affects women of all ages. However, women aged 50+, have been left out of demographic surveys and studies. Most of the documented data is for women aged 15 -49 years. The lack of reliable and comprehensible data on this group makes it even difficult to design appropriate policies and interventions to support them. As a result, they end up invisible and neglected. We need to change this.
A report from UN Women shows a possibility of continuous increase in domestic violence cases. Globally, 243 million women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months. Safety planning forms a critical component in the fight against domestic violence during these turbulent times.
The ongoing rise of Covid19 has led to more restrictive measures on movement to curb the spread. It has now become difficult for gender based violence victims to move around to get help. Now has come a more actionable time than ever when GBV service providers thought outside the box. They have to come up with creative ways and tools to help survivors. It is no longer business as usual. Creativity and innovation is the new style of how services will be offered going forward.
In this pandemic, everyone in the community plays a critical role in providing safety for GBV survivors. With combined efforts we can combat GBV and the pandemic.
