Financial Transfer programs include money or food transfers, either in cash or through vouchers. Initiatives of this type are usually associated with social protection programs implemented by governments, but can also consist of short-term actions in crisis contexts, such as natural disasters or conflicts, and can be implemented by NGOs. In addition, programs can be aimed directly at women or the head of the household (often represented by a man), or they may refrain from specifying this information.
Some transfer programs include conditions, such as school attendance by sons and daughters, as well as participation in healthcare programs, medical appointments, vaccination campaigns, among others. In other cases, they are organized based on a hybrid model that does not include punishment for beneficiaries who do not comply with the conditions, but there are incentive mechanisms aimed at promoting changes in behaviour (e.g. through the use of “nudges”).
Financial Transfers have also been implemented as part of strategies aimed at reducing intimate partner violence. In short, these programs seek, in the first place, to improve family financial security and thus have a positive effect on the psychological well-being of family members in order to mitigate an important risk factor for this type of violence. In addition, Financial Transfers can relieve family tension and reduce the potential for friction in contexts where poverty and food insecurity represent the main stress factors and potential triggers for conflict in a relationship. Last but not least, when targeted at women, these transfers can increase their bargaining power within the relationship and give them the option of breaking ties in cases of abusive relationships.
It should be noted, in this case, that economic theories of crime suggest that men may use violent means to obtain the additional financial gain received by the woman, so there may be an undesired effect in terms of increasing the risk of violence and victimization.