Social Change

 

 

In addition to providing direct services to the victims of abuse, Woman to Woman spearheads social change and acts whithin the limits of its resources to raise social awareness to the phenomenon of family violence and to promote appropriate policy change through legislation and policy implementation, dissemination of information in the media and publications, its annual event and membership in the Forum (Coalition) of Associations Operating Women`s Shelters. Staff and volunteers are available for lectures, meetings with groups and individuals in diverse settings: local authorities, community centers, social agancies, the police, legal forums, health centers, women`s groups and more.

 

In 2017 the Knesset passed a legislative amendment to the Rights of Women Who Resided in Battered Women`s Shelters Law, drafted with significant input from Woman to Woman.

 

In 2016 at the urging and initiative of Woman to Woman, the Bank of Israel and the Association of Banks in Israel joined the us in the creation of the Banking Accessibility Project for Abused Women. Specifically aimed at women in shelters and Halfway Housing, this voluntary banking understanding, the first of its kind in the world, endeavors to ameliorate the financial plight of all too many women who leave their aggressive partners to seek refuge in women`s shelters. It responds to a heretofore unaddressed need, as economic uncertainty is a particular challenge for women whose life experience has not included handling money. Many abused women have never managed their personal or household finances and never had any experience with banks; their partners held full control of finances. Financial inexperience can be one more factor keeping an abused woman at home, or tempting her to return to her partner after she has taken that first brave step away from him. Exchanging the dubious security of life with a violent husband for the uncertainty of life alone is intimidating, especially when independence brings with it new dilemmas to contend with.

The aim of the program is to ease the way into normative society by removing the burden of unrealistic debt repayments. Each participating bank has a representative authorized to decide on issues such as loan repayment and mortgage premium deferrals (up to six months). Efforts are made to separate joint accounts so that the wife can be unshackled from liability for debts incurred solely by the husband, often without the wife`s knowledge.