94-99% of intimate partner violence survivors experience economic abuse. In March 2021, Safe Horizon joined a group of advocates & attorneys from gender-based violence advocacy & legal services programs to uplift a survivor-centered vision for economic equity. In this blog post, we explain:<\/p>\n
Gender-based violence refers to a wide variety of acts that can be directed at a person because of their gender or gender expression. Gender Based Violence can include sexual, physical, mental and economic harm inflicted in public or in private. It also includes threats of violence, coercion, and manipulation.<\/p>\n
The term Gender Based Violence is inclusive of or may be used interchangeably with \u201cdomestic violence\/abuse\u201d or \u201cintimate partner violence\u201d and \u201chate violence.\u201d Gender-based violence offers a more expansive sense of gender, sexuality, and other identities of both the survivor and the abusive partner or person who causes harm.<\/p>\n
For survivors of gender-based violence, safety requires economic security. The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed simultaneous health and economic crises. The media coverage and severity of gendered, economic, and racial inequities over the last few years have increased public awareness around these issues. For survivors and advocates who navigate social and economic barriers to safety, these inequities are not news but rather lived realities.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging and understanding that economic abuse exists at a far higher-than-average percentage amongst domestic violence\/gender-based violence survivors. Building off this knowledge, it is important to focus on righting past wrongs as it relates to ID theft, fraud and coerced debt. This is a long process and can take years to rectify. The next step is putting in place protections against any further economic abuse. Only then can a survivor work towards economic security.<\/p>\n
In March 2021, a group of advocates and attorneys from gender-based violence advocacy and legal services programs across New York City<\/a> came together to create a survivor-centered vision for economic equity with specific recommendations on key issues related to economic independence and stability. To do this, this group held a series of six visioning calls with 24 survivors and 61 advocates, attorneys, and other direct service providers representing 27 New York City organizations, then examined and compiled data and evidence. This \u00a0concluded with four issue briefs: coerced debt, housing, public benefits and solidarity economies.<\/p>\n What are the key findings of this groups study?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What Does this Report Accomplish?<\/strong><\/p>\n In this report, the group shares the vision and specific recommendations from the calls and the report aims to:<\/p>\n Download the report here<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Safe Horizon is proud to participate in the creation of this report with many partner organizations, advocates, and survivors.\u00a0 Together, we are committed to ensuring safety for survivors of gender-based violence and a new vision for economic equity in New York City and beyond. For more info about Safe Horizon visit the About Us<\/a> \u00a0page on our website.\u00a0 Learn about our programs for survivors<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Safe Horizon and other organizations present recommendations for safety for survivors of gender-based violence and a new vision for economic equity in New York City and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":{"id":9685,"alt_text":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","caption":"Peggy Duffy Memorial fund","description":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":512,"height":512,"file":"2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png","filesize":31715,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png","width":300,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":18595,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8008,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9684,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2015],"tags":[1527,1841,1839],"class_list":["post-9901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-blog","tag-gender-based-violence","tag-policy","tag-research","issue-client-centered-practice","issue-domestic-violence","issue-policy-research"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"A Survivor-Centered Policy Platform & Recommendations for Gender Based Violence Survivors ","title_font_size":"42","page_header_excerpt":"Reinvesting In Economic Justice, Equity, And Solidarity For Survivors of Gender Based Violence ","sub-headline_placement":false,"page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":true,"create_custom_authors":true,"authors":[{"author_name":"Blair Dorosh-Walther"},{"author_name":""}],"related_initiative_title":"Safe Horizon's Policy and Advocacy","related_initiative_link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/policy-research\/","related_initiative_link_text":"Learn About Our Policy and Research Initiatives","featured_posts":[{"ID":9790,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2022-09-02 12:48:44","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-02 16:48:44","post_content":" \r\n\r\nHuffpost\r\nBy Ashley Broadwater\r\nAugust 30, 2022<\/em>\r\n\r\nExcerpt:<\/em>\r\n\r\nWith a flight booked, Caitlin Eckert was ready to leave her abuser. But the morning she was set to go, she remembered they were still on the same phone plan.\r\n\r\nThe two had taken advantage of a deal earlier in their relationship \u2014 two new iPhones \u2014 which put them on a shared plan under his name. Not expecting her relationship to turn abusive (because who would?), this understandably caused her little hesitation at the time. But now she felt terrified. What if, out of spite, he disconnected and erased her phone number, the one she\u2019d used for 15 years as a young professional, friend and family member?\r\n\r\nShe called customer service and tried to explain her situation calmly. But no matter what she said, the response from the other end was the same: Her abuser would have to make the call or show up to the store to take her off the plan.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt one point, I broke down and asked the stranger on the other line, \u2018What do I do?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cWhich, looking back, I realize was both in terms of the cell phone plan and the abuse I was experiencing.\u201d\r\n\r\nUnwilling to accept the options provided, Eckert went to the store in person. Her flight was in a few hours, but she knew this needed to be squared away. At the store, three men greeted her. They asked if she was the main account holder; she said she wasn\u2019t. \u201cImmediately, they threw their hands up and told me that there was nothing they could do,\u201d<\/strong> she said. \u201cI remember feeling an immediate wave of defeat rush over me, as I knew that in order to emancipate myself from my abuser, I would need his active participation in the process.\u201d\r\n\n
\n
This is a far-reaching issue.<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAre all phone companies like this? The short answer: It depends. \u201cCell phone providers have different laws and regulations dependent on the state,\u201d said Blair Dorosh-Walther, program manager of economic empowerment at Safe Horizon<\/strong>, a victim assistance organization. \u201cUnfortunately, most states do not have supportive domestic violence protections.\u201d\r\n\r\nMany others have confronted this predicament. In one Twitter thread, people talked about facing or learning about this issue with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, the country\u2019s three biggest carriers<\/strong>. The hoops to jump through are never-ending, even for survivors who are able to go through the process required by their carrier. A Verizon Support representative replied to the Twitter thread, saying \u201cI assure you that any domestic violence victim that receives an order from a court to assume responsibility of their wireless number, can do so without requiring authorization from the current account owner or manager.\u201d In response to questions from HuffPost, the company claimed, \u201cWe work very closely with survivors to make sure they can get any documentation we request, and we make sure we don\u2019t put anyone at risk.\u201d\r\n\r\nT-Mobile said, in part, \u201cT-Mobile supports the Safe Connections Act that would make [being able to sever a phone line without the consent of an abuser] a consistent federal policy. We also support domestic violence survivors where they need assistance with device ownership and service costs.\u201d Neither carrier said policies requiring survivors to produce court orders or other documentation have been eliminated, and AT&T did not answer questions about their policies.\r\n\r\nBut going to court, let alone getting a court order<\/strong>, is incredibly hard and a major barrier for survivors. The time, money, evidence and resources needed can simply be too much, making laws that are supposedly \u201chelpful\u201d far from it.\r\n\r\n\u201cOften, laws supporting domestic violence survivors end up creating far more work for the survivor than the person causing harm, which may be additionally traumatizing,\u201d Dorosh-Walther added. \u201cCell phone contracts are no different.\u201d\r\n
So what can be done?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLet\u2019s start with what\u2019s currently happening in terms of legislation. In July, the House of Representatives passed The Safe Connections Act<\/a>, after a companion bill had already been passed in the Senate. It gives survivors the ability to remove themselves from a family phone plan without problems or fees, but has yet to be made law.\r\n\r\nSo what can someone in this situation do in the meantime? First and foremost, safety planning. \u201cSafety planning is essential, not only for contract bifurcation, but [for] any step a survivor takes away from the person causing them harm towards physical and financial safety,\u201d Dorosh-Walther said.\r\n\r\nRead the full article here.<\/a>","post_title":"Cell Phone Carriers Are Putting Domestic Violence Survivors At Risk. Here's What To Know.","post_excerpt":"Safe Horizon's Blair Dorosh-Walther, program manager of economic empowerment , describes how cell phone providers differ in laws and regulations throughout the country.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"cellphone-carriers-risk-domestic-violence-survivors","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-28 13:36:02","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-28 17:36:02","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=9790","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"original_url":""},"yoast_head":"\n