Over half of Domestic Homicide Reviews featured evidence of a current or ex-partner using economic abuse to trap, isolate and control a victim. Despite this, it remains one of the most overlooked and misunderstood forms of abuse. This must change.
Economic abuse can be fatal. Help us stop it for good.Our new research is a wake-up call. Economic abuse is not just a money problem – it is central to coercive control, and it kills.Every three weeks, a victim dies because of an abuser who used economic abuse as part of their control. But the true toll of economic abuse is likely to be much higher. We cannot wait for another woman’s life to be lost. By coming together we can protect victim-survivors and prevent further lives from being stolen. Will you join us? Because together, we can save lives and stop economic abuse forever. |
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Hidden risks, fatal consequences
Our new research, Hidden risks, fatal consequences: Economic abuse in Domestic Homicide Reviews, analysed 454 Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) from 2019–2025. The findings are stark:
- Over half (51%) of DHRs featured economic abuse by a current or ex-partner
- Of these reviews, fewer than half (47%) of DHR panels recognised the economic abuse.
- Analysis identified how agencies repeatedly missed opportunities to spot risks linked to economic abuse and, in some cases, even facilitated the perpetrator’s economic control.
Our report reveals how perpetrators used economic abuse to trap victims and make it difficult for them to escape.
This included evidence of perpetrators’ monitoring victims’ phones, controlling their access to money, coercing them into debt, and, in one case, using legal processes to maintain control and initiate contact on the day they murdered the victim.
In several cases, ongoing economic abuse was a key factor in victims dying by suicide. One victim disclosed struggling to support her family before taking her own life after the relationship ended.
Read the reportWe cannot wait for another woman’s life to be lost
The evidence is clear: economic abuse is a serious risk factor for homicide and suicide.
It also demonstrates that abusers are weaponising financial, welfare and justice systems to perpetrate economic abuse as a part of a wider pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour.
All agencies – from local authorities and financial services to the Child Maintenance Service and the legal system – must prioritise tackling economic abuse and ensure victim-survivors receive the support they need to prevent future deaths.
If you would like to discuss the recommendations in the report, please get in touch: [email protected]
Information and support
If you or someone you know is experiencing economic abuse, support is available.
If you are in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
If you are not in immediate danger but have concerns about your safety, there are domestic abuse helplines that you can call, many of which offer a 24-hour service.
For mental health support, talk to the Samaritans on 116 123.
If you have lost a loved one to suicide, Mind has information and tools to support you.
