Economic justice is the idea that everyone, regardless of identity, has an equal opportunity to successfully participate in the economy with no barriers or inequities. This includes receiving equitable and fair wages for labor, equal employment opportunities for everyone, and the ability to easily access key resources in order to thrive (such as affordable housing).

DCADV uses this framework to help guide prevention initiatives dedicated to community-level prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified several factors that increase the likelihood for sexual and intimate partner violence to occur, and are connected to root causes of economic injustice. Some of these factors include high unemployment rates, economic instability, poverty, and gender inequality. Through best practices promoted by CDC technical packages, DCADV aims to decrease these risk factors through economic justice-focused programming.

Economic Justice as a Framework for Violence Prevention

DCADV is thrilled to release “Economic Justice as a Framework for Violence Prevention.” This white paper explores how all local and statewide organizations, corporations, workplaces, and sectors can consider ways to adopt and advance policies that promote economic equity and revamp policies that may hinder success, stability, and safety for employees and communities. This white paper is being published to raise awareness and increase knowledge capacity of economic justice among community partners, corporations, and state legislators.

This publication was supported by the Grant Number CDC-RFA-CE19-1902, Rape Prevention and Education: Using the Best Available Evidence for Sexual Violence Prevention, funded by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services.

Financial Empowerment

In collaboration with community partners, DCADV supports financial empowerment education for low-income, female-headed households. These efforts seek to flatten economic power imbalances by empowering women while simultaneously ameliorating risk factors associated with increased likelihood of violence. DCADV uses Allstate’s Moving Ahead curriculum as a guide for financial empowerment education.

Interested in participating in a training? Contact training@dcadv.org.

INVEST DE

Integrating Non-Violent Economic Strategies Throughout Delaware (INVEST DE) is an emerging group of community partners dedicated to increasing the practice of economically-just workplace policies. This collaborative group holds space for cross-sector discussions on ways to influence workplaces across Delaware to incorporate policies that can build safer, more inclusive workspaces for everyone. INVEST DE works together to make economic justice a reality for all Delawareans.

To learn more about INVEST DE, please contact prevention@dcadv.org.

Corporate and Workplace Training

DCADV believes that workplaces can work collaboratively with employees to build an environment where all employees feel safe and valued. Employee satisfaction at work has been linked to increased productivity, which indicates that investing in human capital long-term has positive effects on workplaces and, in turn, the economy. DCADV will work directly with management teams and employees to establish or enhance company-wide policies and increase trauma-informed practices to create a more equitable environment. Click here to learn more about free workplace training opportunities.

Policy

DCADV is involved in a variety of advocacy work to advance laws and policies that support survivors and create environments where prevention is possible. Policies that advance areas such as paid family leave and affordable childcare contribute to economic justice principles and address some of the root causes of violence. In 2020, DCADV conducted an environmental scan to identify the connections between economic justice, violence prevention, and policy best practices to enhance both areas. This environmental scan continues to guide DCADV’s work around prevention policy and informed the development of a white paper, released in 2022. Click here to learn more about our prevention policy work.

How is this Possible?

DCADV is funded through the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) and DELTA AHEAD grants. These grants support efforts to address risk factors associated with sexual and intimate partner violence.