Recession Increases Cases of Domestic Abuse

July 31st, 2008 by OutAgainstAbuse

The one word constantly on everyone’s minds these days is recession. Although some say we still have not reached that point, the truth remains that the effects of the economic downturn have hit us all in either minor or major ways.  Whether it be tightening of personal expesnes or even as unfortunate as job loss, times are becoming difficult for all of us.  Unfortunately, a recession has an even harsher effect for domestic violence cases.  According to a study conducted by Working Partnerships USA,

  • A recession can worsen the likelihood and scale of violence, as well as making it more difficult to leave a batterer
  • A woman’s partner may be more likely to suffer from unemployment and depression, and may be more likely to become violent
  • Distressed economic times increase the chance that a woman will feel forced to remain with her batterer due to housing costs or income concerns for herself or her children. *

The recession also decreases the amount of funding available to provide services and resources for survivors.  As active members of our community, it is our duty to create a safe environment, especially during unfortunate times.  But often we want to help the cause but are financially unable.

 However, there are always other methods to work towards ending domestic abuse.  Funding remains a key component, and every donation, no matter how small, is extremely helpful.  However, volunteering your time or even educating your peers or making your community more aware helps work towards preventing domestic violence.

 Your help and support is extremely crucial in these times and we hope all of you continue to lend your support in whatever way you can.

 We would also love to hear any suggestions or thoughts you have on how we can all work to sustian and grow non profit organizations’ work and outreach during these hard economic times.

*Source: www.wpusa.org


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Challenge To You: Change Perceptions

July 7th, 2008 by OutAgainstAbuse

Working alongside open minded individuals and speaking with activists and advocates of social change often makes me forget that unfortunately such people are a minority in our community.    

Recently I’ve met more and more people who after learning about the website are left a bit bewildered or uncomfortable. Some people give me a confused look and ask “Why would someone stay in an abusive relationship to begin with?” while others make light jokes. Yes, jokes.  But I believe not out of maliciousness, but because they themselves don’t know how to speak about the subject.

 Why is it that often even highly educated people who have strong careers and who are liberal and broad minded in every sense of their life look at domestic abuse in such a narrow focus? 

As past blog entries have reflected before, I believe one of the crucial ways to fight against domestic violence is not just concentrating on giving resources and providing aid to survivors, but to focus on the cause of the problem, which most often is as simple as pure ignorance.

 I challenge all you readers to speak to at least one person about domestic abuse, whether it be friends, family or colleagues. If you can even help just educate one person, you have contributed a lot to solving the problem.  

Let us know about your experiences/ideas about speaking to others about the topic in the comments section!


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