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In Conversation with Surviving Economic Abuse

EDAC member Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. 

SEA provides information and resources for victim-survivors and professionals, and works with industries, regulators and policy-makers to drive change. They offer training for professionals in sectors including financial services, money and debt advice and housing. 

They work day in, day out to ensure that women are supported not only to survive, but also to thrive so we caught up with their Founder and CEO, Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE 

Why did SEA sign up to the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant?

Our vision at Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is a world in which all women and girls achieve economic equality and can live their lives free of abuse and exploitation. Integral to this is ensuring women have access to an independent income so that they have freedom to make their own choices and not be dependent on others. Preventing/interfering with employment is a common form of economic abuse. SEA signed up to the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant to show our strong support for this call to support women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace. Members of our team are themselves survivors of abuse, so we too have a role to play.

How do you think EDAC will benefit women affected by abuse?

EDCA will benefit women by giving them an opportunity to (re)enter the workplace. Employment is vital for many women in the process of rebuilding their lives. It enables them to access economic resources and live independently.

What do you see as the future of SEA and EDAC?

SEA has developed an EDAC action plan, setting out how we live our values and create economic safety for women through our own employment practices. We also share our EDAC experiences and encourage other organisations to get involved. On International Women’s Day we will share three examples of work we are doing as part of the Covenant via our social media channels.  

Anything else you would like to share

When we deliver out economic abuse awareness training, we always tell people about EDAC. With funding from the Churchill Fellowship, we are developing training and resources on economic abuse specifically for employers, encouraging meaningful conversations about domestic abuse and economic safety at every stage of the employment journey. This is funded by the Churchill Fellowship and builds on training and resources we have already developed around economic abuse and maternity.

To access the Economic Abuse Wheel, please follow this link https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEA-Economic-abuse-wheel_final-1.pdf (please reference in full as shown via the link)