A woman who decides to take her children and leave an abusive partner before he beats her to death may have nowhere to go, no job, no money. A welfare check and food stamps can mean the difference between escaping permanently and going back. But it can be a long process. That's one reason we are worried about welfare reform.
Studies show that more than half the women on welfare have been victims of domestic violence.
Strict time limits, work requirements and child-support laws may prove impossible for some women to meet. Abusive husbands and boyfriends may sabotage their efforts to get off welfare and then lure them back into violent relationships when the benefits run out. If welfare reform is going to work, there must be special protection for these women. The new federal welfare law allows states to exempt domestic violence victims from some provisions of the law. California must craft a welfare policy that encourages battered women to become self-sufficient but doesn't cut the lifeline until they are able to make it on their own. ''Everyone would agree that the best way for a battered woman to become independent is to have a job,'' said Minouche Kandel, an attorney for the Support Network for Battered Women.