Domestic abuse doesn’t always look like a black eye or a broken wrist.
Physical abuse is the most identifiable because it can be seen. It’s the abuse we know from television, movies and public service announcements.
There also is emotional abuse. There is verbal and psychological abuse. There is isolation and control.
All of them can feed into the way people respond to the abused. The reactions range from understanding to compassion to pity to disbelief. It also can include confusion.
“Why doesn’t she just leave?” people might ask.
The answer frequently is another kind of abuse: economic or financial. With this kind, the abusive partner might restrict access to money, even from the victim’s paycheck, or monitor every penny earned and spent.
That doesn’t just keep a day-to-day leash on victims. It also hobbles them, making it harder to escape. Why not leave? Because it’s hard to get away without transportation, food or housing.
A Pittsburgh City Council proposal is addressing that. While there already is a law that protects abuse survivors from discrimination in buying or renting housing, a new proposal speaks to those already leasing.
The bill would require landlords to permit domestic abuse victims to end their leases early without penalty. Landlords would have to do expedient lock changes.
It’s a smart idea. It doesn’t trap a victim in financial peril and physical danger. It allows a survivor to stay in the home while mitigating risk. It doesn’t require landlords to swallow a monetary loss but still lets victims make choices about their safety.
“We’ve seen again and again the need for safe housing for domestic violence survivors,” said Nicole Molinaro, president and CEO of the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.
More legislation needs to acknowledge the reality of problems such as domestic abuse — and the complications that make it harder for people to help.
