“He controlled every single aspect of my life and that effectively kept me in that relationship. I’m still in debt, debts accrued by my now ex-husband, debts that I’m liable to pay off”  Victim-survivor

Running up debts because you’re struggling on a low income or in precarious work is hard enough. Now imagine if that debt is coerced debt, caused by a current or ex-partner taking out credit cards in your name without your consent, or failing to pay their agreed share of the rent, mortgage or essential bills. Or they may have total control of your finances or prevent you from getting a job, so to care for your children you are forced to run up debts to buy basics such as food, clothes or toiletries.

This will almost certainly be part of a pattern of coercive controlling behaviour, which lies at the heart of domestic abuse, designed to keep a victim-survivor trapped, unable to flee. It will often happen alongside other forms of abuse such as threats to life, physical or sexual assault, or emotional abuse. And this abuse is highly gendered, so it is most likely to be perpetrated by a man against a woman.

At Surviving Economic Abuse, we raise awareness of economic abuse and work to transform responses to it. Our research shows that 4.2 million women, that is one in six women in the UK experienced economic abuse in the past year.  But for Black and minoritised women that figure is one in three.  One in four women who experienced economic abuse said the abuser damaged their credit score by taking out credit, running up debts in their name, or interfering with repayments. This is equivalent to nearly one million women in the UK last year.

Black women were five times more likely than White women to have a perpetrator control their bank account, and three times more likely to be deprived of personal belongings. Asian and mixed-race women were three times more likely than White women to have child support withheld or be prevented from accessing benefits.

Economic abuse can happen to anyone, and it will be dangerous and devastating for all victim-survivors. But Black and minoritised women are more likely than White women to report adverse impacts. 31% of mixed-race victim-survivors reported having insufficient money to cover heating, electricity, food, clothes or other essential items or bills as a result of the abuser’s economic abuse compared to 17% of White women. Over half of Black women said the abuser’s economic abuse made them feel afraid or fearful compared to 35% of White women.

For migrant women, perpetrators may use the threat of immigration enforcement as a weapon of control. Abusers may withhold passports or visas, let visas lapse, or fail to meet sponsorship duties, leaving survivors with insecure status and no recourse to public funds. At SEA, we have consistently called for government guidance to make it easier for migrant women to open a bank account. But we are particularly concerned by the Government’s earned settlement consultation proposals which we believe are in conflict with its own strategy to end violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Under the proposals migrants will need to prove themselves to be “good citizens” by working or volunteering. But how are you supposed to do that if a perpetrator is preventing you from working or volunteering? Many migrant victim-survivors will have coerced debts as a result of the economic abuse they have experienced, yet there is no proposed exemption for victim-survivors in terms of how those debts would be treated by the immigration system. Many women acquire convictions or adverse financial records as a result of the abuse they experience. This fact is recognised in the VAWG strategy and the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance. So why is it not recognised in the earned settlement proposals?

We believe these proposals will place migrant victim-survivors at significant risk, and we are urging Government to think again and listen to the concerns raised by many of our sister by-and-for organisations and that we are also raising in solidarity with them.

So what needs to change?

At SEA, we focus on systemic change and have successfully campaigned to put tackling economic abuse at the heart of the Government’s Financial Inclusion and VAWG strategies.  If your debt arises as a result of coercion then it shouldn’t be your debt, so we want to see it written off. We are also working with Credit Reference Agencies and lenders to find solutions to help victim-survivors restore their credit ratings so they reflect their true creditworthiness, not the economic abuse they endured.

Survival is not enough, victim-survivors deserve their lives back. Nothing less will do.

Check out Surviving Economic Abuse’s landmark new report, “Hidden risks, fatal consequences: Economic abuse in Domestic Homicide Reviews”, which examines the role of economic abuse in domestic abuse–related deaths across England and Wales.

Author Bio: Sam Smethers is the Chief Executive of Surviving Economic Abuse. She has twelve years’ experience as a charity CEO. She is the former CEO of the Fawcett Society – the UK’s leading feminist campaigning charity and the former CEO of Grandparents Plus (now Kinship).