Something that has become incredibly noticeable in recent years is a shift in the way that organisations are beginning to discuss the topic of domestic abuse. Not only in the ways that they respond to cases, but also in identifying how it shows up in everyday situations that may have previously gone unnoticed.
AXA recently developed a new campaign alongside Women’s Aid, and their work leans strongly into that idea. The ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ project not only focuses on the most visible forms of abuse, but also on the language that so often surrounds it. After all, we see in our day-to-day work that there are so many phrases that, if taken at face value, sound perfectly ordinary. However, they can also hide something very different underneath.
It’s an interesting approach and one we fully support because, for many people, recognition can often be the hardest step.
One of the more practical elements of the campaign is a translator-style tool developed by AXA. It takes common phrases used in conversation and reframes them to show what may actually be meant in the context of abuse. It’s a subtle but very powerful way of helping people to join the dots – particularly where abusive behaviour has been normalised over time.
At its core, the campaign focuses on a single and uncomfortable truth: that abuse does not always present itself in clear and obvious ways. It can be wrapped in concern. It can be framed as responsibility. Even disguised as something that sounds almost reasonable. A comment about managing money for example; it could start with a suggestion that one person takes control of the finances “for the good of the household.”
In isolation, these comments probably would not raise any alarm. Over time though, they can combine to quietly reshape an individual’s independence. And that’s where economic abuse comes in. It might not be particularly dramatic and will almost certainly not be obvious to those looking in, but it can be deeply controlling.
For those experiencing such a form of abuse, its impact is very rarely limited to the relationship itself. Financial control can impact aspects of their life such as housing, employment, access to transport, and even the ability to maintain a connection with family and friends. Combined, it can make the thought of leaving the relationship feel unrealistic or even impossible. Even once the relationship has ended, the consequences will often continue to follow them around in the years to come in the form of debt, damaged credit rating and long-term financial instability.
What’s great about AXA’s campaign is that it acknowledges all those things within a space that most of us would probably not expect to encounter - insurance. By its very nature, insurance is a practical service full of policies, claims and cover. But all those things sit close to people’s lives at a point in time when things may have gone wrong. That opens a point of contact that may be more significant than you might imagine. By incorporating specialist support and training their teams, AXA are recognising that role more openly.
Steps like this matter because not everyone experiencing abuse will contact a support service first. Some people will speak to their employer. Some will speak to their bank. Others might only hint at what they’re experiencing through questions about finances or paperwork. If missed, those opportunities to offer help can just as quickly disappear.
The other thing worth highlighting is that campaigns such as this one don’t just offer support to those currently experiencing abuse. They shine a light and help to shape how the rest of us understand it as well. Patterns become easier to spot, helping people to recognise when something might not feel quite right and question behaviour that may previously have been dismissed or normalised.
We cannot stress the importance of wider awareness enough. Domestic abuse very rarely sits in isolation; it shows up across workplaces, communities, friendships, and families. For that reason, it can’t be for specialist services alone to address.
Whilst initiatives such as this campaign will not solve the issue on their own, they do help to shift the conversation. They make the subject a little easier to recognise, a little easier to talk about and, hopefully, a little easier for someone to reach out sooner than they might have done otherwise.
