If you’ve been a victim of domestic violence or abuse in the home, you know how complicated the situation can be. If you tell friends or other family members, they will likely give you well-intentioned advice about how you should just leave the relationship. They make it sound like it’s very easy to just walk away.
Again, their intentions are good, because they want you to leave a dangerous situation. But it is not always nearly as easy as it sounds, often because of different financial constraints.
Financial manipulation is another form of abuse
For instance, perhaps your partner has been manipulating you financially by cutting you off from the family’s funds. Even though you work, your paychecks get deposited into a bank account that only they control. They may be doing this specifically to keep you in the relationship because they want to make you feel like you will have no financial security if you leave.
Another situation that is often found is when the partner who is suffering from the abuse is not even employed. Often, this is because the abusive partner wants to be the only source of financial security, shelter and support for the victim to increase their dependence. In many cases, this makes it even harder for victims to see a way out of the relationship.
What options do you have?
If you do find yourself in this situation, it is incredibly important that you learn as much as you can about the legal options at your disposal. No one deserves to be trapped in an abusive relationship, and there certainly are steps that you can take.