Analysis: there is relatively little understanding of the destructive nature of this kind of abuse compared to other forms of relationship abuse
While financial abuse is not gender specific, it is more likely to be reported by women. Women's Aid Ireland reported that 7% of the calls it received related to financial abuse, while one in six women in the UK have experienced financial abuse in a relationship.
But there is relatively little understanding of this abuse compared to other forms of abuse in intimate partner relationships and it was mostly thought of as a form of elder abuse. Financial abuse is a form of coercive control and involves the perpetrator using finances to exert power and control, in many cases, over a woman. Coercive control became a criminal offence with the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, Orlagh Sharkey from Callan Tansey Solicitors on how to seek helop for coercive control through the courts
It is worth noting that a woman may prefer that her partner control their finances in some relationships. It is therefore important to distinguish between relationships in which there is financial abuse and those where there is an established and consensual imbalance in the control of the finances. Financial abuse is not consensual and is a tactic used to gain power and dominance over a partner to produce a state of complete financial dependence.
Financial abuse can have long-term consequences for a woman’s financial well-being. Fully understanding what constitutes financial well-being is helpful in fully appreciating the impact of financial abuse. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, financial well-being is a state wherein a person can fully meet current and ongoing financial obligations, can feel secure in their financial future, and is able to make choices that allow them to enjoy life.
A woman experiencing financial abuse is clearly incapable of achieving financial well-being, a significant component of which is the ability to control one’s day-to-day finances and make choices to enjoy life. Unless they can escape the abuse, they will not feel secure in their financial future and, therefore, cannot secure a high level of financial well-being.
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From RTÉ News, banking staff are being trained to spot signs of financial abuse
Many women in financially abusive relationships are unable to leave due to their complete financial dependence on their partner, the perpetrator. A situation of financial dependence does not occur overnight. It is created over time and can take the form of planned financial abuse. Planned financial abuse involves the victim being groomed over a period until they are in a position of complete submission. Gradually, the victim goes from being a confident, financially independent woman to being totally financially dependent on the perpetrator. She may be unaware this is happening until it has already occurred and simply find herself with no access to her own financial resources.
In many situations, a victim will also be tied to the perpetrator through joint debts. Because of her limited access to banking information, she may not be aware of the full extent of the outstanding debts. The existence of joint debts can have long-term implications for the victim, leaving them bound to their abusers for many years.
There is an assumption that financial abuse will cease when the abusive relationship ends. However, financial abuse does not require physical proximity. In many circumstances, the financial abuse escalates after the relationship ends and is used to continue to exert power and control. This can occur through various means, such as a refusal to contribute financially to the upkeep of children from the relationship and refusing to assist with childcare.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, discussion on a new guide about coercive control and finances with Safe Ireland's Mary McDermott and Irish Banking Culture Board's Angela Black
But it can also take on a more severe form with long-term implications. Financial abuse that impacts the long-term financial position of a woman is a form of economic abuse. Although the terms financial abuse and economic abuse have been used interchangeably, economic abuse has a more severe impact and can leave a woman in a position of poverty and deprivation for the foreseeable future. Economic abusers may sabotage their partner’s career prospects, causing her to withdraw from her career through ongoing abuse, for example, constant harassment at her workplace.
In more extreme cases, a woman’s career can be damaged through defamation. This can be extremely damaging and, depending on her particular profession, can negatively impact her earning capacity and threaten her financial security and long-term financial stability. The reduction in a woman’s earnings results in her having inadequate financial means and has a knock-on effect on her chances of obtaining recourse through the justice system. As it currently stands, legal aid does not cover a suit for defamation, and she is left without access to justice.
There is an assumption that financial abuse will cease when the abusive relationship ends, but this is often not the case
Other common forms of post-separation financial abuse include situations where a woman is left paying all the bills for the household, even though only their ex-partner may be living there. Many women in these circumstances feel they have no option but to pay. If they don’t, they risk their credit rating or homelessness. Where a woman’s income is being used entirely to service the household debts, she once again has no control over her finances. Once again, her financial well-being is negatively impacted, potentially more than during the relationship itself. Her punishment for breaking free is to be the target of an ex-partner seeking to destroy her financial well-being.
It is no surprise that there is a lack of understanding in the justice system as to what constitutes financial and economic abuse. Once referred to as the invisible form of domestic violence, this invisibility results in inadequate policies and no recourse to justice. It leaves many women with a choice between a life of poverty and deprivation or returning to an abusive relationship, a choice between two evils.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ. If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, support information is available online
