Economic violence is any act or behaviour which causes economic harm to an individual. Economic violence can take the form of, for example, property damage, restricting access to financial resources, education or the labour market, or not complying with economic responsibilities, such as alimony.[1] In some circumstances the individuals may be closeted LGBT people.[2] The World Health Organization defines it as being a form of collective violence, committed by larger groups towards individuals.[3] The term is frequently associated with, or credited to, feminist theory, who term it as a broader form of violence beyond use or threats of physical force, to include sexual, psychological and economic violence.[4] In Argentinian law, it is defined as a form of domestic violence.[5]

The term 'economic violence' developed from the term economic abuse which was first introduced in the late 1950s. It has commonly been used as a tool to dominate, manipulate and control with the intent to discourage one's ability to gain independence.

Economic violence against women

The most common form of economic violence that occurs globally is economic violence towards women. The United Nations ESCWA defines it on its website as "Economic violence is said to occur when an individual denies his intimate partner access to financial resources, typically as a form of abuse or control or in order to isolate her or to impose other adverse consequences to her well-being."[6] The domain of this form of violence is based on gender, causing the term 'economic violence' to be a subsection of other gender-based discrimination terms such as: gender-based violence, violence against women and girls, and human rights.[7]

Economic violence against women appears differently around the world, but often includes limiting women's access to credit, funds, access to healthcare, employment, and education. This also includes excluding women from making financial decisions and leaving women out of traditional laws in regards to property ownership and use of land.[7] Moreover, the dowry related violence which include compulsive dowry demands, extortion, coercion, blackmail, and exploitation of women and their families before marriage, during the time marriage takes place or after the marriage, is also a serious form of economic violence.[8] One of the more recent examples of economic violence that occurred was in Turkey. This was recently observed in a study done at Sivas Cumhuriyet University. This studied occurred in the cities of Manisa, Konya and Ankara. In the study, women were admitted to the IVF Center in southwest Turkey where all were found to be exposed to economic violence.[7]

While economic violence against women occurs frequently and oftentimes there are very few resources accessible to them, some places have begun to offer more resources for these women. An example of this includes the Redevelopment Opportunities for Women Economic Action Program that is located in St. Louis, Missouri. The REAP began by a combined effort of thirteen domestic violence agencies and three homeless service agencies providing women with economic services to help them escape the situations they are in.[9]

Economic violence against immigrants

Economic violence on a systemic or structural scale can be seen in the economic treatment of immigrants. In this medium, economic violence can be identified as access to economic advancement, wages, unemployment rates, and the exploitation of migrant bodies in the name of profit. In Western European countries where this trend is prevalent, the likelihood of being unemployed is twice as high for immigrants as it is for natives citizens.[10] In a 2016 study of 587 immigrants and refugees seeking care at an Italian hospital, 38 people, or 18.9% of the sample, reported at least one instance of economic violence during their last 12 months spent in Italy.[11] When focused on participants who were employed, over half of them reported experiencing economic violence.[11]

In some cases, the act of immigration itself, namely illegal immigration, is the site of violence. For example, in regards to the journey of undocumented-migrants through Mexico to the United States of America, researcher Wendy A. Vogt argues, "The journey across Mexico has become a site of intense violence and profit making.... For example, while in transit, migrants may be valued in various combinations of cargo to smuggle, gendered bodies to sell, labor to exploit, organs to traffic, and lives to exchange for cash."[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "economic violence". European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  2. ^ Shelley Halstead (National Center for Lesbian Rights) (16 October 2014), "Economic Justice Can Help Undo Economic Violence", YWCA USA Blog, YWCA USA
  3. ^ Definition and typology of violence, World Health Organization / Violence Prevention Alliance, archived from the original on 27 October 2004, retrieved 2 February 2015, Collective violence refers to violence committed by larger groups of individuals and can be subdivided into social, political and economic violence.
  4. ^ Claire M. Renzetti (2008), "Feminist theories of interpersonal violence", in Claire M. Renzetti; Jeffrey L. Edleson (eds.), Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Volume 1, Sage, p. 271, ISBN 9781412918008, In theorizing violence, feminists reject traditional legalistic definitions that focus almost exclusively on forms of physical assault, such as beating, kicking, threatening with a weapon, or using a weapon against another person. Feminist theorists consider such definitions too narrow. Instead, feminist theorists adopt a broader definition of violence that includes sexual, psychological, and economic violence as well as physical violence.
  5. ^ Report on Human Rights Practices 2006: Argentina. United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (6 March 2007)
  6. ^ "Economic violence". ESCWA. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Fawole, O. I. (2008). "Economic Violence To Women and Girls: Is It Receiving the Necessary Attention?". Trauma, Violence & Abuse. 9 (3): 167–177. doi:10.1177/1524838008319255. PMID 18495936. S2CID 8059126.
  8. ^ Nigam, Shalu (2023). Dowry is a Serious Economic Violence: Rethinking Dowry Law in India. Amazon. ISBN 979-8394429057.
  9. ^ "Domestic Violence, Economic Abuse, and Implications of a Program for Building Economic Resources for Low-Income Women".
  10. ^ Dancygier, Rafaela M.; Laitin, David D. (11 May 2014). "Immigration into Europe: Economic Discrimination, Violence, and Public Policy". Annual Review of Political Science. 17 (1): 43–64. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-082012-115925. ISSN 1094-2939.
  11. ^ a b Napolitano, Francesco; Gualdieri, Luciano; Santagati, Gabriella; Angelillo, Italo Francesco (23 September 2018). "Violence Experience among Immigrants and Refugees: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy". BioMed Research International. 2018: e7949483. doi:10.1155/2018/7949483. ISSN 2314-6133. PMC 6174783. PMID 30345306.
  12. ^ VOGT, WENDY A. (November 2013). "Crossing Mexico: Structural violence and the commodification of undocumented Central American migrants". American Ethnologist. 40 (4): 764–780. doi:10.1111/amet.12053. ISSN 0094-0496.
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