For our first article back in 2025, we wanted to draw attention to an issue that we often see an increase in over the Christmas and New Year period. Economic abuse is an often overlooked element of domestic abuse and coercive control, and the focus on finances over the holiday period provides ample opportunity to see such abuse in action. Economic abuse often falls into three categories- restriction, exploitation and sabotage- and we will refer to these terms throughout this article.
What is Economic Abuse?
As outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, economic abuse is a relatively new development in terms of recognising the different forms that abusive behaviour can take in relationships. The Act gives a legal definition of domestic violence, extending coercive control for the first time to include economic abuse and clearly outlining the legal definition of such acts. As the Government have explained in their Economic Abuse toolkit (which is linked below for anyone who may need it), economic abuse works to ‘make the individual economically dependent on the abuser, thereby limiting their ability to escape and access safety. It is designed to intimidate and isolate the victim’, most often occurring in the context of intimate partner violence and involving the control of a partner or ex-partner through control of their money or finances.
This might look like a quite literal definition wherein an individual has access to bank accounts or controls spending through refusing to allow their partner’s financial independence, but can also take shape through abusive behaviours in response to financial decisions, such as food shopping, decisions regarding the shared household or regarding children. Periods such as Christmas, or various religious or personal celebrations, can often become times of heightened abuse. This may be due to the strain on finances many experience, the emphasised focus on financial decisions and the opportunities that arise to exert controlling behaviour in the family centred context of Christmas.
Who Can Experience Economic Abuse?
The statistics are concerning. An estimated 1 in 7 women in the UK have experienced or are currently experiencing economic abuse by a current or former partner, so it is clear this is an issue that is increasingly widespread. Of course, it is worth recognising that though the statistics show women to be the predominant victim group for economic abuse, it can absolutely happen to anyone and should never be discounted.
It is also worth noting that the updates to the 2021 Act also include economic abuse by a former partner as a separate crime to ensure that those who now experience the after-effects of abuse are protected and supported properly. According to Government statistics, 60% of victim-survivors of coercive control and economic abuse have been coerced into taking out debt which can take years to pay off and affect credit ratings, so we are well aware that control over finances does not simply stop upon the end of the relationship and will absolutely take this into account in the work we do to support those in such circumstances.
How Can I Help?
It is important that we continue to have discussions not only about how to protect those experiencing economic abuse, but how to identify the key characteristics of such circumstances to ensure that the abuse does not go unnoticed. We often see that the majority of cases we deal with that include intimate partner violence have an element of economic abuse, particularly in the separation process due to the necessity of compliance by all parties. Often, the party exerting economic abuse will continue this behaviour by being disruptive in the process of separation, such as by refusing access to legal advice if they are the sole financial provider or by withholding access to finances to support any children involved.
This falls into the ‘sabotage’ element of economic abuse, and can be incredibly stressful as many partners do have joint finances that become a point of contention in separation proceedings. It is therefore so important that you tell us if you feel you are experiencing economic abuse so we can ensure this is taken into account in any legal proceedings that may go ahead.
Get in Touch
We would like to direct anyone reading towards a few resources that outline the definition of abuse, how to spot it and how to support victim-survivors. Economic abuse and coercive control is an incredibly complex and often deep rooted form of violence that can be difficult to identify even for those suffering through it, so it is essential that the conversation regarding the widespread nature of it continues and that the voices of those who have experienced it are amplified.
If you are concerned you may be experiencing economic abuse or coercive control on a wider scale, please feel free to get in touch with us for a discussion about your options and how we can help. We offer free 30-minute appointments with a member of our team to discuss this privately with you, and can also discuss legal aid if you are experiencing domestic abuse. Equally, if you are already going through legal proceedings with us and think this is an element that you either have not raised, or did not fully understand was an issue, please also get in touch with your legal representative so we can ensure this is taken into account in any work we do together. Please also feel free to read further on the issue of economic abuse, or access websites that can help below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-toolkits/economic-abuse-toolkit-html
