Universal credit & domestic abuse

[QuarksandLeptons]

Good article in the Financial Times

www.ft.com/content/aaaaf2fa-4c63-11e8-8a8e-22951a2d8493

Brief summary:
10% of the households receiving the benefit are couples. The new system puts it all into one account which means that in the event of it going into the account of a controlling & abusive partner, the abusive partners can end up not sharing the money, leaving women and children vulnerable. There are cases documented of women and children going hungry and not having money for nappies or sanitary items.
Worse, women & children end up being forced to stay in dangerous circumstances because they don’t have the money to leave.

How can changes like these be made to the system without thinking through the real life consequences to huge numbers of women & children? Surely, this would have been flagged up if relevant women’s groups had been asked to comment on proposed changes

"THIS is the current fire rad fems need to put out. Men in women's changing rooms are one thing but this policy is abusing vulnerable women here and now

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mentioned this in my CAB office (naice area, v naice volunteers)

Disbelief

Nobody believed that men might abuse this ... genuine amazement when I explained - Oooh, I hadn’t thought of THAT... but that wouldn’t happen, surely? Denial.

Could civil servants/Tories be equally sheltered? (Giving them benefit of doubt...)

One woman also started patronisingly explaining to me that this was much better because couples would be able to learn “budgeting skills” together (also wrt housing payments no longer being made to landlords direct)

Pencilsinspace I've never read something so disturbing, disgusting and down right nasty. I heard about the paying disabled people less than the min wage and was repulsed. Clearly the goverment hates just about everyone who isnt shining with health, male, loaded, over privileged and white.

angieaw no wise words just wanted to say I'll be thinking of you, hope you can literally LTB soon and have an amazing life that's yours and you'll be really happy.

From a UC blog.

"I spoke to a person who had previously been attending a stand guide work programme scheme. They had previously been volunteering for a local organisation and was enjoying it there and had some real prospects.

They had finished their level one in IT studies and wanted to progress to level two.

They told me that they were told that they now had to undergo a work experience scheme at a local hospital.

They didn’t want to do this but were threatened with a benefit sanction if they didn’t. So here’s what they have to do.

They have to work for a total of 24 hours a week. This is called ‘work experience’ and still do their job search and they won’t be paid.

There’s a 2 week induction period, 4 weeks training and an 8 week placement. Of course there’s the usual promise of a job at the end of this, but there often isn’t and it’s unpaid. After all the work that they will have to do there had better be a job at the end of it. They should be paid for this of course. It’s exploitative to make a person do the above without payment"

"They told me that they were told that they now had to undergo a work experience scheme at a local hospital."

And ppl were annoyed with Poundworld.

We can care about more than one thing and sometimes they overlap.

Deptford People's Project made a powerful statement about why they felt the need to attend the WNTT event at the house of commons. It appears to have disappeared (!) but I C&P'd it here. There's also a good interview on Feminist Current.

The most disadvantaged women are the most likely to need or be placed in single sex services. We need to be joining the dots.

fascinated It appears that the government were advised by a number of women’s groups before this was implemented but they went ahead anyway.
That said, I think you have a point that unless you yourself or someone you know has had experience of claiming for benefits, then it’s easy to have no comprehension of it. I had never realised before reading that article last night about the details of universal credit and their real life impact despite being relatively up to date with current affairs.

angieaw Wishing you hope that can find a way to leave. I hope you become close to your family and they can help. I’m so angry on your behalf that the state that we all constribute to in the understanding that vulnerable people are supported has let you down.

DJLippy I’m with you that this is something we need to band together to get sorted. This is absolutely a critical feminist issue. I’m going to do some research and see what practical things we can do to lobby government for change. If anyone has ideas and experience of this it would be great to hear them.

terfulike Thanks for sharing all of that. It sounds like it was hellish. Thanks for the advice that the government needs to split the payments in half, so the woman at least gets half the money to live on.

greymisty Yes, the idea of a universal living wage from a feminist point of view makes sense. As women are those who often are expected to work for free (childcare, minding parents, housework) I think economically though, it’s hard to find a way that could pay for it. Although I heard an interesting idea that state assets could be owned by every citizen as shareholders, so every year, everyone would reap the benefits of any profit making. Perhaps this could pay for it...

Good point Pencils................i hadnt thought of that.

I've tried googling about to get advice on UC and the info is lacking. No one has told me exactly what it means to upload a work search, I don't feel as if I can hassle my work coach to much as I don't want to piss her off and be sanctioned. Also she's promised to be flexible with me because I have messy circumstances which I'm trying to get sorted. I feel at the mercy of a system that has rules that no one knows and that continuously change and to be honest I'm bricking it!

Quarks thats the phrase universal living wage! It's the only thing I've heard about that offers any hope. Really looking forward to the trial and contemplating a Scotland move - if feasible - if they do roll it out. Apparently the economy does well as everyone has money to spend so things keep rolling. It won't be luxury wages but in my personal circumstances having it would be such a relief. Women do not get paid for our work.

Pencils in space

Thanks for the history. Lord Freud’s contribution to civic life are chilling. Policy makers should be forced to do a minimum time working at the coalface where the policies will be implemented to give them some knowledge and empathy with the impact on human beings of their academic posturing.

angieaw Trying to think of advice. All I can advise is an occupation order which you could do yourself or get help with from a domestic violence charity.

I must mention Lady Hale who tried her best for children and also the excellent Rebekar Carrier

www.hmbsolicitors.co.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=1420

I'm very enthusiastic that we could try to do something. I spent about 2 years on twitter as @kiddycapfury but got nowhere. Ive recently started posting from this account against tras instead!

Greymisty - there are a few helpful(ish) Facebook groups with people who will go through the rules with you. Try Universal Credit Survival - that's one I know gets recommended.

I don't think most people actually believe this type of abuse happens. In my case it was a shared account that we both had access to, but all transactions were scrutinised and permission had to be asked for anything out of the ordinary.

YY. When I was younger I was in the same situation. I had my own bank account but benefits were in partners name and I was classed as the dependent partner so he controlled them completely and used to punish me by withholding money.

Thanks Lang not on Facebook due to exstalker so I miss out on the helpful groups...I'll have a nose and see if any of them are open to being read without signing up.

Grey - I made up a fake name to be on facebook. I don’t wish to be found by an ex.

Although I don’t have friends, I can look at posts and join groups.

I wish we had more threads focused on these issues facing abused women as they are the ones desperately in need of help. Those with a roof, food and enough to get by on really are fortunate - whereas many, many women are missing from stats and unable to advocate for themselves because they are in survival mode - where will a safe roof, the next meal and some reliable financial support come from.

UC is built on the ideas of Lord Freud

Seems like he’s in a long line of those with that surname who seem to be associated with fucking women and children over

Financial abuse from my middle class privately educated ex was not well understood by professionals absolutely - they really don’t get it unless they have a lived experience.

angieaw it absolutely sucks you are stuck in this abuse - won’t the refuge or local women’s services help?

biscuiteer - shocking how these abusers groom those in legal and law enforcement systems.

THIS is the current fire rad fems need to put out. Men in women's changing rooms are one thing but this policy is abusing vulnerable women here and now

Child benefit was introduced precisely because of financial control by abusive male partners. It ensured a mother and her children would receive a small amount of money, enough for basic things like FOOD.

Men abuse women. If they leave, the state abuses them instead. If they don't leave, quite often school invokes social services and they lose their kids. If they do leave, the state abuse leaves them unable to cope and they lose their kids anyway.

Many don’t realised how weaponised the various welfare systems are now against women-the same has happened in Australia as in the UK, plus the US (from what I read). The neo-cons are a global MRA movement that started years ago with Thatcher and Reagan, and encompassed Blair and Clinton, and continues strong today, supported by the world bank, the IMF and the various trade (sic) agreements.

The MRAs in different guises have fought back to stop women leaving abusive relationships and/or to stop women living, and raising their kids, independently of men. Social security hasn’t been reformed. It has been reduced to this rubble. Not just decimated but weaponised so as an abused woman interacting with them, you are immediately in a minefield of father knows best, do what you’re told or else - and the “or else” involves the women being re-abused and having their kids, home and finances taken away at a whim. You are driven to exhaustion, if you aren't there already, by having to run around begging for crumbs at various tables.

If you’re left vulnerable by abuse, then the so-called welfare systems take over where the abuser left off. This is what radical feminism need to focus upon and really it’s not worth looking to govt to sort out - we need to set up refuges and funds again, on our own, to help women. Some will continue to fight within politics but I won’t - it’s a poisoned well imo.

tl;dr abusive, entitled men, in all contexts, don't want stability and support for women as it means women will pull away from their control and act like they are independent of them - these men don't want that at any cost. Women are their possessions to be fucked over as many time as they see fit before they cast them aside.

If you’re left vulnerable by abuse, then the so-called welfare systems take over where the abuser left off.

This is absolutely the case with Universal Credit. The conflation with tax credits (low income top-ups) and JSA (unemployment benefit) has allowed what they euphemistically call conditionality (sanctions) to be extended to the working population.

In the case of low income single mothers or mothers in abusive relationships, it's a recipe for disaster.

I don't think people who are neither subject to DWP control (and it is control) nor work/volunteer where they come into contact with people who are, really understand how bad things have got.

YY Quarks, a year living in an unfit private rent/high rise council flat and trying to scrape together enough money to pay for it should open some of their eyes.

Womanformerly

You are speaking sense that's for sure.

Somewhere I saw a graph that shows how so many of the recent benefit changes have affected women more than man, and particularly single mums

glueustothe do you need to set up a separate non identifying email to go with it?

You guys are giving me the warm fussies. Reading other MN threads so many people seemed ok with the system with the usual "get a job!" attitude. It's heart warming quarks is going to do research and terf sounds as if they've already clued up and woman and lang seem in the know to. (Apologies if I've missed anyone just catching up with thread).

Agree we need to join the dots up and see how things overlap. Women need services that are run by and for women, and preferably women with experience or at least empathy skills.

The more I read MN the more I realise how much we all have in common, individually we are told our experiences are complex and one offs which creates more feelings of isolation. The cycle perpetuates. The more isolated you are the more vulnerable.

Can't wait to read and absorb.

glueustothe do you need to set up a separate non identifying email to go with it?

I used my current email address, but I made sure to tick the box in the privacy settings that says about not being able to search for you via email address.

If you're very worried, set up a new email address. Gmail is good.

But, basically, soon as you set up, check your privacy and tick what you need to.

Women need services that are run by and for women, and preferably women with experience or at least empathy skills.

Empathy being the key word here. The last female police officer I spoke to was not in the queue when empathy was being handed out. As a result, I didn't go ahead with what I needed to.

Everyone should be forced to watch 'I, Daniel Blake'. It IS that bad. It IS that cruel.

And the media should be banned from perpetuating myths about benefits!

If you add in that allowing your children to witness domestic abuse meets the significant harm threshold under the Children Act and can be reason for taking children into care, surely everyone can see the perfect storm that's been created for women?

Partner abuses you? You can't leave because the benefits system has become punitive and women's services have been decimated.

Partner abuses you? You can't leave because of the above and you can't call the police because they might bring in social services who could well take your kids off you because you didn't leave.

Somewhere I saw a graph that shows how so many of the recent benefit changes have affected women more than man, and particularly single mums

This is wilful targeting of women - the reason they ignore the fact that women are disproportionally penalised is because that's what they want to happen. It's no accident, despite what they might seek to portray if challenged