Kerry Washington Talks About Financial Abuse Through The Purple Purse Campaign

Kerry Washington has joined the conversation about domestic violence, and she is focusing on an area of control and power that is often-overlooked. Kerry says the top reason why women stay in abusive relationships is financial abuse, and I think I agree with her. She said this in an interview with The Huffington Post;

"It's the reason why so many people stay. That whole hashtag #WhyIStayed that happened last week, you saw how many of those responses were about feeling trapped financially.

Kerry is the ambassador and spokeswoman for the Allstate Foundation, which runs an initiative called “Purple Purse” to raise awareness of domestic abuse. She says;

"I think people just aren't as aware of financial abuse. If a woman isn't even aware of the dynamics of financial abuse -- what it looks like, what it is -- she may not even know that that's part of the tools being used to control her and manipulate her and keep her trapped. When there is more information around it, people can begin to identify it and then get the help they need."

Kerry Washington designed the handbag she is carrying, as part of a limited-edition purple purse to draw attention to the role of money in abusive relationships.

The original gladiator said she loved designing the bag and hoped it would spur more conversations about domestic violence. She shared the picture below on instagram with the caption;

So excited to share my design of this year's Allstate Foundation #PurplePurse! Check it out! Learn more about #PurplePurse and how you can get involved and help combat domestic violence and financial abuse http://bit.ly/purplepurse

"A purse is a powerful symbol. It's where a woman's economic power lives."

Financial abuse is a tactic often used by abusers to control and isolate their partners. It takes many forms: Abusers may drastically limit their victims' access to cash so they have no money of their own if they want to flee. They may sabotage their victims' ability to work, or pile up debt under their victims' names. Experts cite financial abuse as one of the top reasons why many victims are unable to escape abusive relationships.