Women’s Refuge is calling on the government to rethink their proposed welfare reforms or risk making it harder for women and children to leave violent relationships. A report on Reducing Long Term Benefit Dependency by the government appointed Welfare Working Group was released on February 22nd but media coverage of it has been overshadowed by the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch that same day. The proposed welfare reforms, which are geared toward getting those receiving benefits, such as the Domestic Purposes Benefit (DPB) for single parents with young children into paid employment. Eleanor Butterworth, Education Coordinator for Wellington Women’s Refuge believes that changing perceptions around the DPB could make women less likely to leave violent relationships;
We need the public to understand how important it is that the DPB is seen by women as a viable option for them and their children – not that it is the hiding place of those too lazy to work, and that social welfare is where they will be treated punitively for leaving a relationship. Along with protection orders, the DBP is the only really useful tool that we have to help a woman see a way out for herself and her children.
Womens Refuge notes that pushing people into paid work is not always the best solution for victims of domestic violence, and stresses that workplaces or study environments are not an automatic safe option for women trying to escape violence. In the past few months, Wellington Women’s Refuge has heard directly from a woman whose boss refused to make allowances for absence following a knife attack, even when a refuge worker intervened to explain the high risk situation. another woman lost temp work after her former partner confiscated or destroyed all her photo identification, and many other women have had their professional reputations damaged by an abusive relationship to the point where they could not continue at their jobs.
The threat of being forced into work, will act as a considerable deterrent for women who know they have limited or no safe childcare, options , in NZ 42% of kidnappings and abductions are family violence related, these fears are real and if we want women to leave violent relationships there must be financial support options available. It is a false economy to cut benefits and make it harder for these women, in the end the government will pay anyway each time they go to A&E, call the police, or require mental health support to cope.
