Recession trapping abused women says Women’s Aid Ireland

Posted on September 16, 2009
Filed Under Domestic Violence, Eire, Employment Work, Women's Group | Comments Off

The recession is trapping women in abusive relationships, according to Women’s Aid, which announced details of calls to its domestic violence helpline and its support services in 2008 today.

Many callers disclosed that they are trapped in abusive relationships and are more vulnerable to abuse due to the recession, the domestic violence organisation said.

Callers to the helpline revealed over 15,000 incidents of physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse in 2008.

Many women reported they were experiencing domestic violence before the recession, but said the economic downturn was leading to more frequent abuse and more dangerous abuse. Women also said that abusive men were using the recession to excuse their behaviour.

Margaret Martin, director of Women’s Aid, said that domestic violence is a huge problem within Irish society.

“This year we are particularly concerned about the impact of the recession on women experiencing domestic violence from their boyfriends, husbands and partners,” she said.

“We know that economic difficulty does not cause domestic violence. It is a feature of Irish life during boom times and times of recession. But we hear from women living in abusive situations that their ability to escape domestic violence is being hampered by the recession,” Ms Martin continued.

According to Women’s Aid, women fear increased impoverishment, losing their home and the effect of poverty on their children. This barrier to leaving is exacerbated by the use of financial abuse by a controlling boyfriend, husband or partner, it said.

Some 1,900 incidents of financial abuse were disclosed to Women’s Aid in 2008. Such abuse included denying the woman access to the family finances; arranging all social welfare in the abuser’s name; arranging all debt in the woman’s name; denying the woman money for food for herself and children and money to pay household bills; forging the woman’s signature on cheques and forcing the woman to put the abuser’s name on the deeds of the house. In situations where women have been able to leave abusive partners, non-payment of maintenance was said to be a major issue.

Woman’s Aid said one woman who called the helpline revealed that her husband “not only controls all the finances and expects an itemised bill for everything spent, he also checks the mileage on the car if she goes grocery shopping, checks the telephone to see who she calls, checks how much heating has been used and refuses to give her money for any outings with the children”.

The 2008 figures also indicated that some trends remain consistent year to year.

Women’s Aid said it is deeply concerned about the abuse of women during pregnancy and in the post-natal period.

“We hear from women who are beaten and raped while they are pregnant, often resulting in miscarriage. We hear from women who are forbidden to breastfeed their child, who are raped following childbirth, and women who are beaten while holding their baby,” Ms Martin said.

As well as this, the organisation expressed its concern about the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children living in domestic violence situations.

In 2009, Women’s Aid experienced cutbacks in funding, and according to Ms Martin, 2010 “looks even bleaker”. The organisation is deeply worried about the impact of the economy on its helpline and other support services.

The Women’s Aid (Ireland) helpline is open from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week, on 1800 341 900***

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=16125

*** For other DV helplines see http://www.womeninlondon.org.uk/#dv