Responding to Domestic Economic Abuse: Opportunities for Australia (VIRTUAL)
Tracks
Springbrook Room
| Thursday, December 2, 2021 |
| 1:02 PM - 1:22 PM |
Overview
Ms Rebecca Glenn, Centre For Women's Economic Safety
Speaker
Ms Rebecca Glenn
Founder
Centre For Women's Economic Safety
Responding to Domestic Economic Abuse: Opportunities for Australia (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
Centre for Women’s Economic Safety founder, Rebecca Glenn, recently completed her Churchill Fellowship investigating service responses to domestic economic abuse in the UK, USA and Canada. Her report identifies 14 opportunities for Australia to improve its responses to women experiencing this insidious form of domestic and family violence.
The majority of women experiencing intimate partner violence in Australia are experiencing economic abuse as part of the broader pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour. This has immediate and long-term impacts on safety and wellbeing. While economic abuse as a form of intimate partner violence may not be a new phenomenon it is still an emerging field of study and a relatively new focus for services responding to domestic and family violence (DFV).
Increasingly, services and advocates are discomfited by the very significant financial impact of domestic violence and the long-lasting consequences of economic abuse. As a result, more organisations are looking at how they can better support people experiencing it.
Three of the major barriers to improved responses in Australia and elsewhere are, 1) low public awareness and understanding of economic abuse, 2) system complexity and interdependence, and 3) already inadequate resources (time and money) of the not-for-profit sector at the frontline of responding to victims of DFV.
As a result, Rebecca’s Churchill Fellowship focused on overseas practices that could support women experiencing economic abuse that:
- Placed minimal time or cost burden on existing DFV services
- Reduced the burden on victim-survivors
- Increased the capacity to respond, and quality of responses, both in and outside the DFV sector
- Was cost-effective and/or scalable
- Contributed to increased public awareness
She identified multiple opportunities for Australia to significantly improve its responses to women experiencing economic abuse in the intimate partner context. Her presentation will outline key recommendations for improving service responses, building capacity and improving systems.
3 Key Learnings
1. Economic abuse is a significant barrier to women's safety.
2. Better understanding of economic abuse is required by Australian services and systems.
3. There are significant opportunities to better support women escaping economic abuse at the service, community and system level.
The majority of women experiencing intimate partner violence in Australia are experiencing economic abuse as part of the broader pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour. This has immediate and long-term impacts on safety and wellbeing. While economic abuse as a form of intimate partner violence may not be a new phenomenon it is still an emerging field of study and a relatively new focus for services responding to domestic and family violence (DFV).
Increasingly, services and advocates are discomfited by the very significant financial impact of domestic violence and the long-lasting consequences of economic abuse. As a result, more organisations are looking at how they can better support people experiencing it.
Three of the major barriers to improved responses in Australia and elsewhere are, 1) low public awareness and understanding of economic abuse, 2) system complexity and interdependence, and 3) already inadequate resources (time and money) of the not-for-profit sector at the frontline of responding to victims of DFV.
As a result, Rebecca’s Churchill Fellowship focused on overseas practices that could support women experiencing economic abuse that:
- Placed minimal time or cost burden on existing DFV services
- Reduced the burden on victim-survivors
- Increased the capacity to respond, and quality of responses, both in and outside the DFV sector
- Was cost-effective and/or scalable
- Contributed to increased public awareness
She identified multiple opportunities for Australia to significantly improve its responses to women experiencing economic abuse in the intimate partner context. Her presentation will outline key recommendations for improving service responses, building capacity and improving systems.
3 Key Learnings
1. Economic abuse is a significant barrier to women's safety.
2. Better understanding of economic abuse is required by Australian services and systems.
3. There are significant opportunities to better support women escaping economic abuse at the service, community and system level.
Biography
Rebecca founded the not-for-profit organisation Centre for Women’s Economic Safety (CWES) to raise awareness of economic abuse as a form of domestic and family violence (DFV) and advocate for women’s economic safety. She is also Assistant Director at Insight Exchange (Domestic Violence Service Management).
Previously, Rebecca worked in financial wellbeing at the Commonwealth Bank (CBA). As a member of CBA’s DFV Working Group, she worked with a range of experts to develop the Women’s Financial Wellbeing Guide and partnered with DV NSW to produce the Addressing Financial Abuse Guide.
Before CBA, she was founding CEO of not-for-profit, Financial Literacy Australia.
