This month, we will join YWCA associations worldwide for the annual Week Without Violence, held from October 21-26, 2024. This year’s theme, "Financial Trauma: From Financial Abuse to Safety and Justice," highlights a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of gender-based violence: financial trauma and its deep, long-lasting impact on survivors. 

During this week, we will focus on elevating conversations around financial abuse—how it manifests, its devastating effects, and, most importantly, the road to recovery. Many survivors experience financial control as part of domestic violence, whether through manipulated finances, restricted access to resources, or coerced debt. It’s time we to address these realities. 

What to Expect 

Throughout the week, we will be sharing powerful stories from local YWCA associations in the form of short videos. These narratives will spotlight survivors' real experiences with financial abuse and the extraordinary resilience they’ve shown on their journey to safety and financial justice. 

In addition to these stories, we will provide practical resources and strategies to help individuals recognize financial abuse in their own lives or those around them. From tips on identifying warning signs to tools for recovery, our resources are designed to empower survivors and the community at large to take action. 

Why Focus on Financial Trauma? 

Financial trauma is an invisible form of violence that can trap survivors in dangerous situations, undermine their independence, and perpetuate cycles of abuse. By focusing on financial trauma, YWCA seeks to address systemic inequities and harmful policies that make it difficult for survivors to break free from these cycles. It is essential to connect this conversation to broader issues of economic harm and inequity in our society. 

YWCA Greater Atlanta will also join forces with the World YWCA during this week to raise awareness globally, elevate survivor voices, and engage policymakers. Our goal is clear: to center survivors in the conversation and continue to work towards ending gender-based violence in all its forms. 

How You Can Participate 

We encourage you to take part in this important initiative by following YWCA Greater Atlanta on social media for daily updates during Week Without Violence. Share the stories, amplify survivor voices, and spread awareness in your community. If you or someone you know has experienced financial abuse, these resources can offer a pathway to healing and safety. 

Together, we can move from financial trauma to safety and justice. 

Join us from October 21-26, 2024, as we take steps to end financial abuse and continue the fight against gender-based violence.