STEPS TO FINANCIAL SECURITY
As part of the support services addressed to women affected by gender-based violence (domestic violence and workplace harassment), A.L.E.G. also offers economic assistance, because a safe life also implies economic independence.
Most of the time we don’t make a direct connection between money and domestic violence, but financial education can play a powerful role in a woman’s story and help her get out of an abusive relationship. Furthermore, education for financial autonomy and economic equality could serve to prevent abuse. According to the 2022 Gender Barometer, one in four Romanians believes that it is okay for a man to prevent his partner from using her money as she pleases, which indicates a high tolerance for coercion and control, i.e. precisely the premises of domestic violence.
We provide, under the umbrella of the Counseling Center for Victims of Domestic Violence, a licensed and accredited social service since 2005, free psychological and legal counseling services, but also access to support groups for those people who want to take the first step in their journey from victim to survivor.
With the support of the Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe (Alliance for Gender Equality), we complete the package of services and extend specialized support for economic empowerment through financial education and mentoring, but also personal development workshops (some of the topics covered are: financial autonomy and self-esteem, balance between work and personal life, healthy boundaries), and development of budgeting skills, orientation on the labor market and communication.
We will continue to highlight to employers that workplace harassment is a real impediment to women’s economic empowerment, while helping companies and institutions to improve their gender equality and harassment prevention policies. A.L.E.G. services are constantly adapting to the needs of women in the communities we work with, so in these years of post-pandemic economic crisis, which particularly affects workers in the informal sectors, small entrepreneurs, part-time employees (mostly women) and other vulnerable categories such as migrants and people belonging to minorities, we decided to expand the efforts started a few years ago, when through the Banometer fund we were trained in providing financial education. The guide “The link between money and domestic violence” was translated with the support of IRC Balkans into Ukrainian and English to serve vulnerable groups such as refugees and migrants. It is important that specialists with a role in the intervention (psychologists, social workers, etc.) also benefit from training on gender equality and economic empowerment, and the guide can be a useful tool for professionals as well.
