Although domestic violence is not caused by poverty, unemployment, and economic recession, these factors may increase the risk of domestic violence. Nationwide data shows that the economy has a large effect on domestic violence incidents and reporting by victims. Women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more than twice as likely to be the victims of intimate partner violence compared with women in more advantaged neighborhoods. According to 56% of shelters, domestic violence is more violent now than before the economic downturn (National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2016).
Economic stress and hardship may increase the demand for services, just as emergency domestic violence service providers are struggling with fewer resources. One can see how this would be particularly true in Illinois as an effect of the budget impasse. Locally, Sojourn Shelter and Services relies on state grants and funding to provide most of their $1.3 million annual budget (SJ-R, 2015). In 2015, the Shelter served more than 6,000 clients, also providing court advocates for five counties and helping with over 1,500 orders of protection (London, News Channel 20). The increasing need for the resources provided by Sojourn Shelter and Services while the shelter is experiencing a decrease in their budget because of statewide economic hardship is not a phenomenon, but a norm; during times of economic uncertainty, eighty percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide report and increase in women seeking assistance from abuse.
In addition to the system-wide effects of economic hardship on domestic violence reporting and access to services, domestic violence may cause financial problems for survivors and entrap them in poverty and an abusive relationship. Women in abusive relationships report instances in which battering obstructed their ability to find work, maintain employment, and use their wages to establish greater economic independence and safety. About 45% of participants in a survey of 1,500 domestic violence survivors reported experiencing financial difficulties, including many not being able to pay basic bills. More than ¾ of shelters indicate their clients stayed longer in their relationships due to the state of the economy. Even after victims are able to escape their abuser, it is difficult for survivors to re-establish themselves financially. (National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2016)
While not a frequently discussed aspect of domestic violence, one can see that the effects of economic hardship and uncertainty have very real and often detrimental effects on domestic violence incidents, reporting by victims, and access to services. For more information on what you can do to help, contact your local domestic violence shelter and stay tuned for our last Domestic Violence Awareness post, coming Monday, Oct. 31.
