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Washington talks domestic violence, motherhood

In this Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014 photo, actress Kerry Washington poses for a portrait in Los Angeles. Washington was asked to do the domestic abuse public service announcement by The Allstate Foundation, which had already put into motion an initiative called “Purple Purse,” to raise awareness of domestic-abuse money matters. Washington said the facts and figures were such eye openers, she immediately agreed to serve as the campaign's spokesperson. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
In this Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014 photo, actress Kerry Washington poses for a portrait in Los Angeles. Washington was asked to do the domestic abuse public service announcement by The Allstate Foundation, which had already put into motion an initiative called “Purple Purse,” to raise awareness of domestic-abuse money matters. Washington said the facts and figures were such eye openers, she immediately agreed to serve as the campaign's spokesperson. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

By Associated Press 4 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – It didn’t take the Ray Rice elevator video to get Kerry Washington talking about domestic violence.

In fact, it was the day before news outlets were looping security-camera images of the NFL running back punching out his then-fiancé Janay Palmer, that the “Scandal” actress was filming a public service announcement about a rarely discussed component of domestic violence known a financial abuse.

“For many, many of those cases – 98 percent of those cases – the financial abuse is what keeps a woman trapped,” Washington said. “Not being able to control your finances, destroying a woman’s credit, jeopardizing her job.”

In her PSA, Washington says “one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence. Finances are almost always a weapon of choice.”

Washington rarely talks to reporters about anything outside of her work. She keeps her private life so private that many in Hollywood were surprised by the news in June 2013 that she had married former NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, with whom Washington welcomed their first child, daughter Isabelle Amarachi, in April.