Economic Independence as a Way Out of Violence

For many women experiencing gender-based violence, leaving an abusive relationship is not simply a matter of making a decision.

It is also a matter of having somewhere to go, being able to feed their children, paying for transport, finding safe accommodation and, above all, having the means to build a life independently.

Economic dependence can become one of the invisible chains that keeps a woman trapped in violence.

In Kenya, women continue to face significant economic inequalities. They are more likely than men to work in vulnerable or informal employment and often have less access to stable income, property, financial resources and opportunities for professional development.

For a woman who is already experiencing violence, these inequalities can make leaving an abusive environment even more difficult.

Independence begins with opportunity

This is why the fight against gender-based violence cannot end with emergency assistance.

Protection is essential, but protection must be followed by opportunity.

Learning a profession, developing practical skills, improving language abilities, gaining work experience and having access to income-generating opportunities can completely change a woman’s prospects.

A woman who can earn her own income has more choices.

• She can plan.

• She can make decisions for herself and her children.

• She can begin to imagine a future that does not depend economically on the person who controls or abuses her.

From assistance to empowerment

At Scarpetta Rossa Kenya, we believe that women should not be seen only as people who need assistance.

They must be given the opportunity to become the protagonists of their own future.

This is the principle behind our work in Ukunda, Kwale County.

Our approach combines listening and support with practical pathways towards independence, including vocational training in areas such as tailoring, cooking and other income-generating skills, language education, work experience and opportunities designed to help women progressively enter the labour market or develop their own small economic activities.

The objective is not simply to provide temporary help.

It is to create the conditions that allow a woman to stand on her own feet.

Mothers need more than training

Economic empowerment must also take into account the reality of women’s lives.

Many women are mothers. Offering training without considering childcare, transportation or the practical difficulties of attending a course can mean excluding precisely those women who need the opportunity most.

For this reason, our vision includes support services that make participation realistically possible, including a safe space for children and solutions that facilitate women’s mobility.

Empowerment is effective only when women can actually access it.

From safety to independence

Stopping violence is the first step.

Rebuilding a life is the journey that follows.

For Scarpetta Rossa Kenya, economic independence is therefore not separate from the fight against gender-based violence. It is one of its most important components.

Every professional skill learned, every qualification achieved, every first salary earned and every small business created can represent something much greater than an economic result.

It can represent freedom of choice.

It can represent dignity.

It can represent the possibility of saying: I can build my own future.

This is what we mean when we say:

From Safety to Independence.

Scarpetta Rossa Kenya – Sofia Castelli Project

Ukunda, Kwale County, Kenya