WELCOME!
Coercive control is a pervasive form of abuse, it is covert, subtle, often invisible and silent.
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Employment, shelter, children, money and sex are some of the tools used to reward or punish vicitms.
The impacts of covert abuse are equaly violent and harmful.
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WHAT WE DO
Empower Parents
Child maintenance - Many women can't afford legal representation and they are anxious about approaching the Maintenance Court.
Our free platform empowers parents about their children's rights to financial support through peer to peer sharing of experiences and information.
Knowledge & Skills
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Creating a safer environment in the workplace for employees through corporate policy, awareness and workshops
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Understanding coercive controlling behaviour for psychosocial practioners.
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Economic and financial abuse literacy for legal practitioners.
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Be able to confidently navigate the maintenance process and system on your own through 1-1 coaching.
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Divorce mentoring.
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Create Awareness
We help you understand why our society has become the way it is through research, and highlight what we are doing about it and what you can do about it.
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We lobby and influence policy and law reform.
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This platform creates awareness of the intersections of systemic inequalities and marginalisation of women.
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Be part of the growing consciousness to prevent GBV.
WHO WE ARE
FELICITY AN GUEST
My own journey started in 2011 which I often refer to as entering the dark underbelly of the injustice system. The nightmare started when I asked for a divorce in December 2010 and in March 2011 I was emailed a divorce decree that I had not participated in or agreed to. His fraudulent divorce was set aside in August 2011 and the legitimate divorce eventually went through on my birthday in August 2012 but it did not end there.
I then entered into the maintenance system where I spent many days in the maintenance courts, out of frustration and desperation I eventually applied for a protection order for economic abuse to protect my adult neurodiverse child who needs care for the rest of his life.
My experience and observations are that the courts do not understand the complexities and nuances of abuse and therefore do not adequately protect victims. The impacts of systemic ignorance and failures cause immediate harm and long into the future for the primary parent (mostly women) and children often condemning them to a life of abuse and poverty.
Economic abuse is a violent tool, it is a major contributor to gender inequality, poverty and gender based violence due to historic power imbalances and ongoing gender injustice. South Africa is in crisis however gender based violence is endemic in South Africa and whilst we have progressive legislation it does not equate to implementation and protection. The covert forms of domestic violence are not prioritised due to the overwhelming need to protect women against physical and sexual abuse however in the absence of understanding coercive controlling behaviour we will not effectively reduce the vulnerability of our most vulnerable, women and children.
In July 2014 I founded Child Maintenance Difficulties in South Africa, to provide peer to peer support for other parents navigating the maintenance system which currently has over 84 000 members of which 85% are women, this speaks to the magnitude of the gendered problem. The sharing and access to knowledge has empowered women to actively participate in the process of their maintenance applications which results in more favourable outcomes.
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BOOK WITH US
Read MorePrivate one-on-one telephonic coaching with maintenance expert Felicit...
1 hr
749 South African rand
Ended
2Â 500 South African rand
51%
of women in SA have experienced gender-based violence
98%
of gender-based violence survivors experienced economic abuse
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60% of mothers get NO child support
Gender-based violence in SA
The scale of the financial abuse is real. 98% of domestic violence victims have experienced economic/financial abuse. According to Africa Health Organisation, one in two women are the victim of domestic violence in South Africa.
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Child Maintenance is used as a tool to punish or reward the primary parent, who in the majority are women. Whilst it is a legal obligation by both parents to provide a child with housing, food, clothing, education and medical care at the very least, the evidence shows us that over 60% of women get NO child support. This is a major contributor to gender and economic inequality, poverty, economic exclusion and ongoing domestic violence. Improving the implementation and enforcement of the Maintenance Act will have an immediate impact on protecting the most vulnerable of society women and children. Successful implementation and recovery of child maintenance would also go a long way on South Africa's commitment to meeting the sustainable development goals of 2030.
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Economic abuse is when one’s access to economic resources and opportunities is controlled or limited by an intimate partner which creates dependence, this is often the biggest barrier for victims to leaving an abusive relationship. Abuse does not stop when a victim leaves, the behaviour changes shape and form post relationship and children bind the victim to the abuser, clean breaks are almost impossible. Money becomes the tool, a very powerful and destructive tool to coerce and control a victim and the reason why many women do not pursue maintenance obligations. The mental and emotional impacts have a profound impact on victims in their personal lives and in the work lives.
Society, particularly business, can play a major role in better protecting and supporting women, it is imperative to understand the complexities of gender based violence and the impacts, especially the covert forms of abuse such as coercive controlling behaviour. Coved showed us how business can prioritize the well being of their employees because their well-being affects performance and productivety and the bottom line - profits.