BSP Continues to be an Advocate against FSV

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) understands that Family Sexual Violence (FSV) is the most prevalent form of gender inequality that affects households and communities, and spans across workplace and generations.

Recently, BSP launched its inaugural awareness campaign on "Financial Abuse" which most often is present in homes where family and sexual violence (FSV) exists.

BSP's journey in actively assisting survivors of FSV started in 2013, from funding facility upgrade to a safe house in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, leading to being one of the founders and subscriber of Bel isi PNG programme since 2018.

In May 2019, BSP launched its Group Family Sexual Violence (FSV) Policy. Since then active awareness has been on-going on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and FSV focusing on impact of such forms of violence on an individual, and family members at home and in the workplace and offering various support services.

At the end of 2020, BSP as part of institutionalising the policy, officially included black as the colour to wear every Thursday as part of the corporate uniform. This was a result of a year-long awareness campaign called #BlackThursdays driving awareness on family and sexual violence (FSV) and standing in solidarity with survivors of family and sexual violence.

Staff wearing black on Thursday for the #Blackthursday campaign.

A campaign on #ChallengingAttitudes saw BSP joining a Global 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women and girls in 2021, by launching its own 16 Days of activism themed "I am a feminist", led by BSP's Group CEO, Robin Fleming.

Moreover, this led to the 2022 campaign #Empowermenttogether - promoting gender equality to eliminate violence.

It has become evident from survivors supported through BSP's Group Family & Sexual Violence Policy, that financial abuse is a barrier to exiting a life of violence. Control of finances stems from coercive control practiced by many abusers which is a systematic pattern of power to keep a partner in line. Financial security will enable survivors to exit an abusive relationship and find a way to financial self-sufficiency. Survivors may also lack the tools or financial literacy to recover quickly.

The Group CEO, Robin Fleming believes BSP has a moral obligation to drive financial abuse awareness to assist those who are abused through the banking sector.

"Under the leadership of Group CEO, Robin Fleming, BSP as an organisation recognises the devastating effects of family and sexual violence on individuals, families and communities and has become an advocate against FSV, an advocate for FSV intervention and a financial empowerment organisation, which is well placed to help survivors attain financial self-sufficiency through its awareness campaign".

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