“Money doesn’t make you happy but without money, there’s nowhere to go. That’s why, for me, economic abuse is the greatest form of control.”
Domestic abuse takes many forms. Abusers may restrict, exploit and sabotage their partner’s access to money and other resources, such as food, clothing, transportation and a place to live. This is economic abuse, and it is designed to limit someone’s freedom.
It is commonly experienced within a pattern of behaviour known as coercive control.
Economic abuse can take many forms. An abuser might do any of the following:
They might:
They might:
They might:
People commonly use the terms economic abuse and financial abuse interchangeably, since they involve similar behaviours. It can be helpful to think of financial abuse as a subcategory of economic abuse.
If you have experienced economic abuse, you are not alone. There are people and organisations that can help.
Check out our guide or read our resources to learn more about economic abuse and what you can do. If you are a professional looking for more information, our ‘Research and evaluation’ page compiles the latest relevant research on economic abuse, both within the UK and from our international network.
© Copyright 2021 Surviving Economic Abuse | Registered Charity Number 1173256