WESST Blog

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness about domestic violence every October.  Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors–including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion–used by one’s intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship.  In the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience domestic violence.

Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases but remains one of the less commonly understood forms of domestic abuse.  It is one of the most powerful methods of keeping a survivor trapped in an abusive relationship, and it is a common type of elder abuse.  As with all other forms of abuse, financial abuse occurs all socioeconomic, educational, and racial and ethnic groups Domestic violence disproportionately impacts marginalized communities and survivors encounter additional barriers as a result of structural and systemic inequities.

WESST works to provide trainings and other educational opportunities to achieve financial security and to identify the signs of financial abuse that impact the communities we serve.  We have hosted annual panel discussions with local experts to raise awareness and break the stigma.

Please find a list of resources for help and resources within New Mexico and nationally:

New Mexico Resources:

• Comprehensive List of Domestic Violence Shelters in New Mexico
• Domestic Violence Resource Center: https://dvrcnm.org/
• New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence: https://www.nmcadv.org
• New Mexico Crisis and Access Hotline: https://nmcrisisline.com/
• New Mexico Legal Aid Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Legal Helpline: 1-877-974-3400

National Resources:

• Strong Hearts Native Helpline: https://strongheartshelpline.org/
• National Network to End Domestic Violence: https://nnedv.org/
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
• Domestic Violence Awareness Project: https://www.dvawareness.org/
• Financial Abuse Fact Sheet in English and Spanish: Financial Abuse Fact Sheet – NNEDV