Economic Abuse: The Silent Killer Behind Domestic Violence

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Domestic abuse isn’t only about bruises or broken bones.

Financial and economic abuse are among the deadliest forms of control, because they trap victims.

No money means no escape.

No housing. No food. No way out.

And when children are involved, that trap tightens further.

This is not control. It is coercion. It is imprisonment. It is torture.

Warnings Ignored. Risks Downgraded. Lives Lost

Take the tragic case of Ramona Stoia. She reported threats, rape, and controlling behaviour by her ex-partner. She had a court order. He breached it. He was arrested. And yet she was assessed as “medium risk”.

Sixteen days later, she was murdered.

This is not a system working. This is a system failing, fatally.

Clare Wood, Hollie Gazzard, Khadija Saye … different names, same pattern:-

• Warnings ignored

• Risk downgraded

• Control minimised

• Victims left exposed

Economic abuse often fuels this control. Money is freedom, and taking it away traps victims long after they try to leave.

The Scale of the Crisis

Domestic abuse in the UK is widespread and deadly:-

• 3.8 million people experience domestic abuse annually in England and Wales

• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime

• Around 1.5 million men are victims each year

• One woman is killed every 5 days by a partner or ex-partner

• 42% of cases involve ex-partners—after separation

Post-separation is the most dangerous time.

Leaving doesn’t end abuse — it often escalates it.

Economic Abuse & Coercive Control: Men vs Women

Domestic abuse affects both men and women, but the ways it shows up can differ.

Economic abuse and coercive control are key factors in both, and yet the statistics reveal stark contrasts.

Women:-

• 50–60% report experiencing economic or financial abuse

• 70–80% report coercive control, which often includes financial, economic, manipulation, isolation, intimidation, and threats

Men:-

• 32% report economic or financial abuse

• 89% report coercive control (psychological, legal, and financial manipulation)

  
  

  • Key male-specific factor: abuse often occurs through child maintenance, custody disputes, or during legal pressure

Insight:-

• Economic abuse disproportionately traps women financially and physically, often leveraging caregiving responsibilities or traditional gender roles.

• Coercive control affects both genders but manifests differently: men often experience psychological, legal, or financial manipulation and are less likely to report it, while women are more likely to face direct threats and financial entrapment.

What is Economic and Financial Abuse?

Economic abuse includes:-

• Denying access to money

• Taking or monitoring wages

• Forcing debt or financial responsibility

• Threatening via child maintenance or legal systems

• Controlling assets, housing, or income

Control of money is control of survival — housing, food, mobility, independence.

UK helpline data now clarified by gender:-

• Women: 50–60% report economic abuse, 70–80% report coercive control

• Men: 32% report economic abuse, 89% report coercive control

Mothers and Financial Control

One of the most insidious forms of financial abuse is tied to motherhood.

Women carry children, and in abusive relationships, that reality is often exploited. Some perpetrators deliberately create dependency:-

• Refusing to support childcare

• Blocking a woman’s ability to return to work

• Withholding money while expecting full-time caregiving

• Then claiming, “this is what you wanted”

Abusers exploit caregiving roles, they:-

• Block work, withhold money, refuse childcare support

• Create dependency, traps women even after leaving - post separation abuse

Stakes are higher with children involved.

It’s not support. It’s a strategy.

Once income is removed, independence is removed. Once independence is gone, leaving becomes almost impossible.

A woman may give up her job to raise children, often under pressure, expectation, or manipulation. Then the same role is weaponised against her:-

• No access to money

• No ability to rebuild a career

• No practical way to leave

Add children into the situation, and the stakes are even higher. It’s no longer just about survival, it’s about protecting them too.

This is not parenting. This is not partnership. This is coercive control.

Male Victims: The Silent Majority

Men are victims too, but they rarely report:-

• 67% of men never tell anyone

• Only 4 – 5% of refuge spaces are available to men

Fear, stigma, and lack of tailored support leave male victims suffering in silence.

Financial abuse manifests through child maintenance, housing, and manipulation, yet it remains largely invisible.

Legal Framework – And Its Failure

• Serious Crime Act 2015 criminalised coercive and controlling behaviour

• Domestic Abuse Act 2021 strengthened recognition of emotional, financial, and post-separation abuse

And yet:-

• Only a small percentage of cases result in conviction

• Coercive control remains under-identified

• Risk assessments continue to fail victims

The law is clear. The response is not.

What Must Change

We need:-

1. Mandatory, enforceable checklists in family and criminal courts

2. Recognition of economic abuse as a high-risk factor

3. Accountability when authorities fail to act

No one has the right to control another person’s life.

Trapping someone financially is not love, it is abuse.

This is not rare. This is not isolated. This is systemic, and it is costing lives.

Enough is enough.

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Deanna Newell Family Law

Advocacy for truth-tellers, survivors, and the children who deserve better