Serena Williams Is Speaking Out About Financial Abuse During Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Perhaps you’ve heard that one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. It’s a staggering statistic. Here’s the part you probably don’t know: 99% of those cases will involve some form of financial abuse.
Serena Williams wants to do something about that. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Williams has partnered for the third time with the Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse initiative to raise awareness around the rampant problem of financial abuse in relationships. “She is the embodiment of women’s empowerment,” Allstate Foundation senior program officer Ellen Lisak says. “We’ve been so grateful she has brought her influential voice and platform to our program to help elevate a national conversation around these issues that are so unknown to so many people.”
“When I signed up three years, I was really shocked by the statistics,” Williams told Glamour. “It’s basically every single case [of domestic violence]. When you think about that way, it’s like how did I not know about it? What can I do to bring my voice to it and talk about it?”
“I hope that people can learn the common signs of financial abuse and that if people are victims they know that there are resources like PurplePurse.com out there to help,” she continues. “I want people to know about the horrors of financial abuse.” Through her partnership with Allstate and Purple Purse, she’s had the opportunity to talk with survivors, something that has been very meaningful to her. “I feel really lucky to be among such powerful women,” she says. “It’s important for me to use my voice to support them and help tell their stories. Together, we can help other women.”
“Victims of domestic violence are often asked, ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ and what we found is that financial abuse is one of the reasons. We found that domestic violence happens to one in four women, regardless of race or socioeconomic status and 99% of those cases also involve financial abuse,” Lisak tells Glamour. “It’s is one of the main reasons that victims remain in or return to an abusive relationship.”
“It can take on many forms, depending on the situation, but some examples include when an abuser prevents a victim from working, or they really limit their access to money or credit cards, or they even intentionally ruin their credit,” she continues. “If you have bad credit you can’t get an apartment. If you’re not working, you’re not bringing in income and you’re kind of stuck in this vicious cycle.”