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Help Us Rise is the Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment’s (CCFWE) National Economic Abuse Awareness and Advocacy Campaign to raise awareness about Economic Abuse and the impact it has on Canadian women and society at large
The Help Us Rise campaign, organized by CCFWE, is a national campaign held every November, coinciding with Financial Literacy Month and Woman Abuse Prevention Month. It mobilizes individuals, organizations, policymakers, private sector representatives, and communities across Canada to advocate for solutions to end Economic Abuse, helping survivors regain control over their lives. The campaign runs throughout November, culminating on November 26, which is designated as National Economic Abuse Awareness Day.
This action-oriented campaign focuses on raising awareness about Economic Abuse and empowering survivors by involving women’s rights advocates, social workers, financial institutions, governments, and policymakers. Its primary goal is to help survivors access economic resources, break free from financial abuse, and achieve economic empowerment, highlighting the critical link between ending Economic Abuse and addressing domestic violence, financial literacy, and resource-related barriers.
In the fifth year’s CCFWE Help Us Rise campaign focuses on the growing issue of technology-facilitated financial abuse, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of domestic violence. As technology becomes an integral part of our lives, abusers are increasingly using digital tools to control, exploit, and financially harm their partners.
Technology-facilitated Economic Abuse involves using digital tools and platforms to control or exploit someone’s financial resources. This can include monitoring online banking, stealing personal information, destroying devices, restricting account access, or manipulating financial transactions. Abusers may also use social media, apps, or other online methods to harass, intimidate, or coerce victim-survivors, making it difficult for them to achieve financial independence. Despite its growing prevalence, there is limited awareness and guidance on how to effectively prevent technology- facilitated economic abuse, leaving victims with few resources to protect themselves. By raising awareness about the ways technology can be weaponized in economic abuse, this campaign aims to empower victim-survivors, educate the public, and advocate for stronger protections.
A report by Women’s Shelters Canada on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) found that 95% of frontline workers reported working with a survivor experiencing TFGBV, harassment, threats and tracking being the most common forms of violence. The same report found that TFGBV co-occurs in 78% of cases with financial abuse.
It undermines survivors’ ability to secure financial stability and independence, exacerbating their vulnerability and making it harder for them to escape abusive situations. Addressing this issue is crucial for ensuring survivors are protected and supported in reclaiming control over their lives.
By raising awareness about the ways technology can be weaponized in economic abuse, this campaign aims to empower victim-survivors, educate the public, and advocate for stronger protections. Learn more about Technology Facilitated Economic Abuse.
Watch more about MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth who issued a compelling call to action to the nation, urging citizens to stand united in the fight against Domestic Economic Abuse.
We invite stakeholders, including domestic abuse survivors, women’s rights advocates and institution organizations, financial institutions, policymakers, social workers, and the public, to join us for the Help Us Rise Campaign 2024.
Your influence and advocacy will play a crucial role in reaching a wide audience, educating them about the often-overlooked issue of economic abuse, and encouraging action to support those affected.
If you are interested in getting involved, visit our website or contact us at info@ccfwe.org.
Women’s economic empowerment can be the means and the end to gender-based violence. Together with our partners and collaborators, we want to work towards a world where women can access economic resources to break the cycle of poverty and abuse for themselves and their children.
The Help Us Rise campaign is framed around current barriers and solutions for women to access financial services, fostering economic equity, financial programs tailored for survivors, and workshops for social and financial service providers on how to support Economic Abuse survivors.
Economic Abuse can have a profoundly devastating effect on women: it impacts mental health. It impedes a woman’s ability to leave an abuser, subsequently prolonging the time she is vulnerable to harm. Unfortunately, there remains a lack of knowledge on the prevalence, nature, and characteristics of how economic abuse is experienced in Canada.
According to CCFWE’s National study on service provider insights in Canada, 63% of social service providers do not have specific training for staff to assist clients experiencing abuse. Studies have shown that 1 in 4 women experience financial abuse even after they’ve left an abuser.
Economic Abuse often leaves victim-survivors without financial resources, employment, knowledge of existing support services, and housing and deeply in debt.
By raising awareness about the ways technology can be weaponized in Economic Abuse, this campaign aims to empower victim-survivors, educate the public, and advocate for stronger protections.
Ottawa, Canada
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info@ccfwe.org
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