World Bank Group Policies / Consequences of Domestic Abuse
United States Law and Domestic Abuse
World Bank Family Network Publications on Domestic Abuse
How You Can Help Victims of Domestic Abuse
What To Do If You Think You Might Be An Abuser
How To Protect Your Digital Privacy
World Bank Group Policies / Consequences of Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is a criminal offense in the United States and in many countries where Bank Group staff reside. World Bank Group employees, either U.S citizens or G4 visa holders, do not enjoy diplomatic immunity and must comply with U.S. laws including family law.
Since domestic abuse involves illegal behavior, the World Bank Group does not tolerate this form of misconduct from its employees and may take disciplinary action in accordance with the Principles of Staff employment and Staff Rules 2.01 and 3.06.
The World Bank Group established procedures to minimize the impact of any attempts by an employee to exploit institutional immunities or privileges (which are related to World Bank Group business and do not cover illegal behavior) in private disputes.
- Staff Rule 03.06: Spouse and/or Child Support Obligations, Criteria, Procedure, Divorce
- Staff Rule 02.01: Confidentiality of Personnel Information including information on a staff member's salary and benefits (including pension and insurance) to the spouse or domestic partner of a staff member.
- Staff Rule 6.06.09.05: Administrative Leave: Appearance in Court to attend court proceeding(s) to request restraining or protective orders, etc.
These staff rules can be viewed by downloading the entire WBG Staff Manual as a single PDF.
United States Law and Domestic Abuse
There are many laws in the United States that address domestic abuse, and these often vary from state to state. Please consult an attorney knowledgeable about domestic violence in order to understand your legal options. (Also see Domestic Relations and World Bank Group Families, aka "Family Law Guide", PDF, available in English, French, and Spanish.)
Criminal Laws: In the United States, it is a crime to commit a violent act against another person or to threaten to harm another person. In most states, in addition to these crimes, pushing, shoving, grabbing, forcing a person to stay somewhere against her will, destroying someone’s property, stalking someone, sexually assaulting someone, or harassing someone by telephone, is against the law. The reporting procedures (e.g., calling the police, a prosecutor, or a court commissioner) and the consequences vary by state.
Civil Protection Orders: In every state and in D.C., you may ask a judge to issue a civil order to protect you from domestic violence if you have been threatened or assaulted. This type of order tells the batterer not to abuse you. It also can tell him or her not to contact you. In most states, a protection order also can include temporary custody of the children and a visitation arrangement, temporary child support, use of the home and/or a vehicle, and other legal orders to try to end the violence. A civil protection order does not involve the criminal justice system unless the perpetrator then violates the order.
Custody: In every state and in D.C., you may ask a judge to issue a custody and visitation order if you have children in common with a batterer. This is an order determining which parent can make decisions about the children and with whom the children will live. (For information on which state has the power to issue a custody order in a case involving more than one state, please consult the Legal Resource Center on Violence Against Women at 1-800-556-4053).
Immigration Relief: There are several immigration laws that address domestic violence situations. For example, if you are married to a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident and meet certain other conditions, you may be able to self-petition for immigration papers without involving your abusive spouse. Another form of relief states that if you are a crime victim and you could be helpful to law enforcement, and you meet certain other conditions, you may be eligible for a U visa. It is important to talk with a knowledgeable immigration attorney to find out if there are legal protections that could help you.
World Bank Family Network Publications on Domestic Abuse
The World Bank Family Network (WBFN) has developed and published the following materials that address many of the specific aspects of domestic abuse within the WBG community:
Also See:
How You Can Help Victims of Domestic Abuse
Do listen, believe and let the person know that he/she is not alone.
Do recognize the warning signs of an abusive situation for victims (absenteeism, isolation, unexplained injuries, etc.) and for perpetrators (public blames, outburst of anger, attitude of domination, etc.).
Domestic violence survivors may be at increased risk for violence when they take steps to leave an abusive partner or to seek legal relief. It is important to contact an experienced advocate or attorney to develop a safety plan for the victim and their children whether they choose to remain with a partner or are separating.
Don’t underestimate the danger of the situation.
Don’t let the abusive behavior continue in the work place (phone calls to the victim, blames in public, threats, etc.)
What To Do If You Think You Might Be An Abuser
If you are concerned that you are exhibiting abusive behaviors towards your partner, there is help. Please contact the DAPP Hotline: (always available, 24/7) at +1-202-458-5800.
Confidential and free counseling and related supportive services are provided by experienced counselors who are trained to work with individuals who engage in abusive behavior.
How To Protect Your Digital Privacy
Emails are never guaranteed to be private; they can be traced even after you have deleted them. Instead, call a hotline and ask for assistance in figuring out next steps. If you still decide to use email, doing the following things can help you protect your privacy:
Use the email/contact form, like the one below, for initial contact. That way you don’t risk your privacy by emailing, but only by visiting this webpage.
The Domestic Abuse Prevention Coordinator will provide more information on how to help protect your privacy on your computer.
Internet Browsing: If you think your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone’s computer and Internet activities – anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor with programs like Spyware, keystroke loggers and hacking tools.
It is not possible to delete or clear all the “footprints" of your computer or online activities. If you are being monitored, it may be dangerous to change your computer behaviors such as suddenly deleting your entire Internet history if that is not your regular habit.
If you think you may be monitored on your home computer, be careful how you use your computer since an abuser might become suspicious. You may want to keep using the monitored computer for normal activities, such as looking up the weather or recipes. Use a safer computer to research an escape plan, look for new jobs or apartments, bus tickets, or ask for help.
Email and Instant/Text Messaging (IM) are not safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life. If possible, please call a hotline instead. If you use email or IM, please use a safer computer and an account your abuser does not know about.
Computers can store a lot of private information about what you look at via the Internet, the emails and instant messages you send, internet-based phone and TTY calls you make, web-based purchases and banking, and many other activities. A safe computer might be a computer in a public library, at a trusted friend’s house, or an Internet café.
