A new video campaign from AIB in collaboration with Women’s Aid is shining a light on a lesser known type of abuse suffered by women in Ireland by launching an ‘abusive teller machine’.
AIB today released a short video that was filmed in early April which saw customers in Dundrum Town Shopping Centre attempting to take money out of an ATM. Each customer was met with a series of intrusive and controlling questions, and the more they attempted to get their money, the more aggressive the questions became.
The two-minute clip starts with the statement, “Across Ireland women are suffering a form of abuse no one talks about” before showing different customers’ frustrating and unnerving experiences using the ATM.
At the end of the video, customers explained how they felt enraged at how they could not access their own money.
Director of Women’s Aid Margaret Martin explained how prevalent this form of domestic abuse is in Irish society:
“Earlier this month, we published our annual impact report which highlighted the level of contacts that we have received in the last 12 months; of the 19,000 contacts, there were over 1500 disclosures of financial abuse from all backgrounds and regions of the country.
“We know this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Our Impact Report for 2018 is an important snapshot of domestic violence against women and children in Ireland. Last year we heard over 20,000 disclosures of abuse on the 24hr National Helpline and our one to one services. Download the report at https://t.co/eKTdX2V9vc pic.twitter.com/4jezLM2PkC
— Women's Aid Ireland (@Womens_Aid) April 10, 2019
According to Women’s Aid, financial abuse is a form of domestic abuse in which a partner or ex-partner uses money as a means of controlling someone.
The collaboration between AIB and Women’s Aid came about after AIB’s dedicated Group Advocacy department, established in 2018, found that financial abuse within relationships was a serious issue in Ireland.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the above issues, you can contact Women’s Aid national freephone helpline at 1800-341-900 – available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or see womensaid.ie.
