The Preventing Violence programme of the Fundación Isadora Duncan is a comprehensive initiative aimed at combating violence against women in all its forms, with particular emphasis on one of the most normalised and invisible forms: economic violence. Launched in 2021, the programme emerged from the organisation’s experience in directly supporting victims of gender-based violence, where the economic dimension was identified as one of the areas most affected by dynamics of control and manipulation, but also as one of the least addressed in recovery processes.
In many cases, women experiencing gender-based violence are also victims of economic violence. However, this dimension is not always identified or specifically addressed, making comprehensive recovery more difficult. Furthermore, there are situations of economic violence which, because they are not accompanied by more visible forms of abuse, remain outside the scope of resources and strategies designed to promote women’s autonomy.
Since its foundation, the Fundación Isadora Duncan has worked to promote women’s economic autonomy, understanding that financial independence is a fundamental pillar in preventing inequality and violence. In this context, economic violence is recognised as a key manifestation of gender-based violence, as it limits women’s decision-making capacity, restricts their access to resources, and perpetuates dependent relationships. This form of violence may take the form of income control, deprivation of basic resources, forced indebtedness, or barriers to employment, among other situations.
In response to this reality, the Preventing Violence programme aims to prevent, raise awareness of, and detect situations of gender-based violence, including those that remain hidden in everyday life. One of its most significant contributions has been positioning itself as one of the pioneering programmes in Spain advocating for the recognition of economic violence as a form of gender-based violence. In doing so, it has helped foster social and institutional debate and contributed to the activation of public policies such as the recent renewal of the State Pact against Gender-Based Violence.
One of the programme’s main areas of work is training on the prevention and detection of economic violence, aimed both at professionals and the general public. These activities seek to build knowledge, raise awareness, and provide practical tools for identifying and responding to this issue. The training is adapted to different contexts and audiences and is delivered throughout Spain.
The programme has been one of the pioneers in Spain in advocating for the recognition of economic violence as a form of gender-based violence. This positioning has been crucial in advancing social and institutional debate on the issue, as well as promoting its inclusion in public policies and legal frameworks. To this end, the organisation has developed a range of awareness-raising, prevention, and detection materials, including guides, campaigns, and audiovisual resources that have been recognised as good practices in projects across the country.
Among these materials are the updated Guide for the Prevention of Economic Violence against Women, awareness campaigns such as Now You Will Hear Us, and the short film Economic Violence Gives Us Something to Talk About, all of which highlight the different ways this violence manifests itself and challenge gender roles and stereotypes associated with money and work. Likewise, tools such as the survey Do You Know if You Are Experiencing Economic Violence? have made it possible to collect relevant data on perceptions and prevalence, highlighting the need to continue raising awareness of the issue.
More recently, the study Institutional Economic Violence against Women: Inequality in Situations of Separation, Divorce and Widowhood. Marriage versus Cohabitation has been added to these resources. The study broadens understanding of the phenomenon from a structural perspective and analyses the role institutions play in reproducing this form of violence.
Alongside training activities and the development of specialised materials, the programme also provides a dedicated legal advice and psychological support service. This support enables women to better understand their situation, know their rights, and make informed decisions, addressing economic violence from a comprehensive perspective that takes into account its many dimensions and consequences.
The programme’s impact extends across Spain through multi-sector initiatives that bring together academic, legal, and social actors. These include the national meetings on Economic Violence, the most recent of which focused on Institutional Economic Violence. Furthermore, the impact of these initiatives has gone beyond the national level through participation in international spaces such as the International Congress on Feminist Economics in Mexico and contributions to the European study Overview on Economic Abuse, a European Vision through 18 Experts.
Ultimately, the Preventing Violence programme of the Fundación Isadora Duncan represents a strong commitment to eradicating gender-based violence through a broad and inclusive approach. By focusing on economic violence, it helps shed light on a reality that has historically been ignored and provides tools, resources, and support to transform it, establishing itself as a reference point in social intervention and in the defence of women’s rights.
About the Author: Tania Yugueros Gutiérrez is working for the Fundación Isadora Duncan. Since 2021, she has served as the lead and coordinator of a nationwide program to prevent violence against women, where she leads the design, development, and evaluation of strategies focused on awareness, identification, and prevention, with a special emphasis on economic abuse – an often invisible form of violence that limits women’s autonomy. Within this framework, she develops materials, coordinates training activities, and promotes campaigns with social impact.
**DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this article reflect the views of the author, not necessarily of COFACE Families Europe**
