Calling new members for the
National Task Force for Women’s Economic Justice
Financial and Banking Services Committee

Who We Are

The Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment (CCFWE) is a national organization dedicated to empowering domestic violence survivors through advocacy, mentorship, and economic empowerment. CCFWE is the only organization in Canada dedicated to fighting economic abuse. The organization’s mission is to create a world where survivors of domestic violence can access resources to promote safety and financial independence. 

Mandate 

The National Task Force for Economic Justice is funded by the Government of Canada under the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality and Youth (WAGE). This is the first Canadian government-funded initiative addressing Economic Abuse. The task force consists of up to 25 members who support CCFWE’s mission to end economic and financial abuse and empower all women and those who identified as being women. Members of the Financial and Banking Services Committee bring expertise in addressing abuse in vulnerable client services.

The Purpose of the National Task Force for Women’s Economic Justice – Financial and Banking Services Sub Committee

Due to the high prevalence of Economic Abuse, CCFWE is working with stakeholders including financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations to advocate for better services for vulnerable clients. Specifically, using a task force approach allows us to collaborate with experts in order to review systems, policies, and procedures to support the development of new approaches for identifying, tackling, and reducing incidents of Financial Abuse.  

Economic Abuse is a key barrier facing women and girls seeking to leave unsafe environments, and creates economic and financial dependence; 94% -99% of domestic abuse cases include Economic Abuse, and barriers that exist in our financial, legal, and government systems prevent women from regaining their financial independence post-separation. Those victims of Financial/Economic Abuse face a higher risk of becoming victims of predatory lending practices such as payday loans and check-cashing services as they attempt to gain access to economic resources without their abusive partner’s knowledge.

This opportunity helps to strengthen the banks, financial institutions able to provide an equitable response that is as appropriate as possible for the woman’s needs, in order to prevent financial abuse and helps to assist the social worker in fully utilizing the financial rights of the woman both as a customer in the banking system and as a woman in abusive relationship. 

Duration: Meeting quarterly for one hour, with approximately two hours of meeting preparation anticipated.

To join the task force, a candidate should be:

• Ideally, senior-level member of a financial institution, or similar financial services sector and/or be the lead for a provincial organization. Alternatively, the candidate will have previous experience/expertise in the management of client services. We also invite experts who have extensive knowledge in a range of areas including; community relations, personal banking, customer care expert, credit analyst, everyday banking and online services, fraud prevention, financial advisors, managers of financial equity and inclusion, law and compliance policy, consumer credit law, debt enforcement practices, the bankruptcy regime, and industry hardship policies
• A decision-maker for their organization, or has the capacity to influence decision-making on banking products and services.
• People who have lived experience.

Advantages of joining the group

• Members will develop skills in implementing protocols for vulnerable persons; including acknowledgment of victims of economic and financial abuse, recognition, and training tools. 
• Members will be able to use CCFWE resources to train staff to detect and respond to economic abuse in collaboration with CCFWE and IPV organizations.  
• Members will learn how to direct customer support can provide a crucial check between perpetrators and victims. Financial institutions can improve client services in a trauma-informed manner.
• Members become experts in understanding the implications of economic abuse and financial trauma.
• Corporations can reduce unrecoverable debts by flagging early signs of financial abuse.
• Provides the opportunity for corporations to expand their services and bring policies in Canada in-line with those countries such as the UK and Australia which are further advanced at identifying and responding to economic abuse.  

The application will be accepted until 5 pm EDT on May 5th, 2022. Please send us your expression of interest to Michaela Mayer michaela.m@ccfwe.org