Jessica Ferguson

Sexually Transmitted Debt.

I've spoken to a number of men over the past 2 or 3 years who have their own business and have put a number of measures in place to ensure their partner and children are financially secure if the company was to incure a debt. That is incredibly commendable.

Unfortunately, that's not always the case, with some men appointing their partners as directors of their business. In many cases, the woman is unaware they were even made a director, or the woman signs the paperwork under duress. Enormous debts are then accumulated, with the survivor of an abusive relationship responsible for these. The impact is significant, and often occurs years after a woman has escaped the relationship.

Unfortunately, although the ATO acknowledge that they're aware some people incur debts because of situations involving abuse, the Australian tax system is required to pursue debts. This needs to change. Perhaps we need to look to the USA, where their tax system has a program for 'innocent spouse relief'.

I've increased my fundraising target, and would love a couple more sponsors before my walk ends 😊

Using language to silence women.

I have developed an interested over the past couple of years in how language is used by perpetrators of abuse, but also by society to silence women who suffer abuse.

Common metaphors have been found to enable violence in a variety of ways. For example, statements such as “don’t air your dirty laundry in public” encourage woman to stay silent regarding violence she has experienced, whereas statements like “she provoked me” or “she knows how to push my buttons” shift blame to the woman. Claims such as “pressure just builds, and I explode” serve to justify violence against women. 

Male perpetrators have also been found to reconstruct themselves as the victim, using language such as “you provoked me”. This argument has historically been used within family court proceedings with perpetrators painting themselves as the victim of a vindictive woman who is trying to alienate them from their child, despite evidence to the contrary. Even more concerning is that Judges have also been found to believe that women exaggerate the extent of the abuse suffered, with the 'vindictive women' narrative leading to domestic violence being trivialised to maintain a father’s presence in their child’s life. If a woman becomes frustrated and distressed at this situation, this reinforces the perpetrators narrative which commonly constructs her as hysterical, anxious, unreasonable, and unstable.

So, what can we do?

For women who have left an abusive relationship, they become particularly vulnerable due to the limited knowledge of judges within the family court system regarding domestic violence and post-separation violence. By ensuring all judges working within the family courts are given access to mandatory training regarding common language tactics employed by perpetrators of abuse, such as adopting the position of victim or positioning the woman as vindictive, this may help to create a greater understanding of the language used to silence, blame and pathologise women. This could make a significant difference in encouraging women who suffer domestic violence to leave the relationship.

Protecting customers from continued abuse.

Pets that are left behind.

Why do women stay?