From Economic Abuse to Financial Empowerment: Resources for Survivors

Written By ECLI-VIBES

Economic Abuse is any attempt made to deliberately control, limit, conceal, or withhold someone else’s finances to gain control over a person and create dependency and a lack of freedom.

A survey of 2,163 survivors found that 92.3% had experienced economic abuse, 57.9% had their bank accounts controlled, and 74.1% lacked safe bank accounts.

Additionally, the survey estimated that survivors need at least $1,567 on average to meet basic needs and achieve stability - although this number can vary depending on the cost of living in a particular area.¹

What can economic abuse look like?²

  • Closely monitoring spending

  • Controlling a person’s bank account or how money is spent

  • Making all financial decisions

  • Keeping someone from getting a job or completing their education, including forbidding or sabotaging these efforts

  • Withholding basic living resources such as food, clothing, or medication

  • Forcing someone to work in an industry or location where they do not want to work

  • Opening Credit Cards in someone’s name and creating debt

  • Damaging credit scores

  • Controlling paychecks

  • Withholding money or imposing an allowance

  • Disclosing private information at someone’s work

  • Keeping someone from saving toward personal goals

  • Withholding essential identification or financial documents

  • Stealing money, identity, credit, or property

  • Forcing someone to sign over assets, bank account access, or file fraudulent legal or tax documents

  • Destroying Credit or Credibility, including overusing credit or making false reports of ‘cheating’ to a public benefits office

A healthy financial relationship is one where all partners ³:

  • Have access to financial statements and information, although one partner may manage the finances

  • Feel safe to identify and speak up when they have different values about money and negotiate financial goals

  • Recognize and respect that decision-making is equal, regardless of who earns more income

  • Can have access to money on their own

  • Are knowledgeable about how money is spent

Financial Empowerment Safety Planning ⁴

During the Relationship

  • Set aside extra money in a private account or hide it somewhere safe

  • Have a backup plan in case the extra money is discovered

  • Ask one or two trusted and reliable friends or family members to hold small amounts of money for you in case of an emergency

When Leaving

  • Make sure no one has access to your bank account, reset your PINs and any direct deposits

  • Take at least half of any joint accounts - or 75% if you have children

  • Track how you spend funds, as you may need to explain it later

After Leaving and Beyond

  • Be mindful of who you share your experience with, including employers or housing programs. Trust those who will respect your privacy.

  • Some laws protect survivors, but discrimination can still happen so be sure to document your experiences.

Protective Orders

  • Some protection orders can remove abusive partners from the home and prohibit contact, order temporary economic relief such as child support, mortgage assistance and/or rent assistance. Although allowable, not all jurisdictions regularly use this protection.

Housing

  • If a potential landlord requires a credit check, that inquiry with the property owner’s name and location may appear on a renter’s credit report. This can inadvertently disclose a survivor’s potential new address.

Technology Safety

  • Be cautious about completing applications online.

  • Change all usernames and passwords on all online accounts (banking, email, etc.)

Workplace

  • If possible, have your telephone calls screened.

  • Consider all pros and cons of disclosing to your employer.

Child Support

  • You may be eligible to collect child support if you have at least one child under age 18

For more information and resources check out:

¹ FreeFrom, Support Every Survivor: How Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability

Shape Survivors’ Experiences and Needs, 2022, https://www.freefrom.org

² Adapted from FreeFrom.org and https://nnedv.org/content/financial-safety-planning/

³ Adapted from https://nnedv.org/content/financial-safety-planning/

⁴ Adapted from FreeFrom.org and https://nnedv.org/content/financial-safety-planning/

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