Introduction

Domestic violence occupies a grim and familiar space in our public consciousness. We recognize its most visible forms, the physical, the sexual, the emotional, as tragic headlines that appear with relentless and increasing frequency. This is not merely a perception; the data confirms a disturbing upward trend.

In Canada, police-reported incidents have surged from 290 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 354 per 100,000 in 2023. Similarly, in the United States, reported incidence has risen from 160 per 100,000 in 2015 to 170 per 100,000 in 2024. To translate these statistics into human terms, this represents an annual increase of 38,917 reported victims in Canada and 56,316 in the United States. Each number is a life altered, a family fractured, a story of survival.

Yet, behind these stark figures lies a hidden dimension of control, one that rarely makes the headlines but often forms the invisible cage that traps survivors in dangerous relationships. This is economic abuse, a systematic and deliberate pattern of financial control, exploitation, and sabotage. It is the hidden architecture of power that underpins so many stories of domestic violence, and it is the critical issue we will be bringing to light this month.

Definition

Economic abuse is defined as a systematic and deliberate pattern of control, exploitation, and sabotage used by one person to maintain power over another in an intimate or familial relationship. Its core objective is not simply financial gain, but to destroy an individual's financial autonomy, trap them in the relationship, and eliminate their means of escape or independence.

Unlike a single financial disagreement or a shared hardship, economic abuse is characterized by its persistent, coercive, and strategic nature. It is recognized as a core component of domestic violence and is often a more powerful predictor of whether a survivor will stay with, or return to, an abuser than physical violence.

The Three Pillars of Economic Abuse

Economic abuse typically manifests through three interconnected forms of control:

1. Economic Control: Restricting Access and Autonomy
This involves controlling the victim's access to financial resources and decision-making.

• Examples:

  • Withholding money or providing a demeaning "allowance."

  • Denying access to joint bank accounts.

  • Hiding family income or assets.

  • Forbidding the victim from working or attending school.

  • Demanding to see every receipt and justifying every penny spent.

2. Economic Exploitation: Using the Victim's Resources
This involves exploiting the victim's financial resources, assets, or credit for the abuser's benefit.

• Examples:

  • Coerced Debt: Forcing the victim to take out loans or credit cards in their name for the abuser's use.

  • Theft: Stealing the victim's money, property, or identity.

  • Fraud: Forging the victim's signature on financial documents.

  • Refusing to Contribute: Not paying their share of household expenses despite having an income.

  • Sabotaging Shared Assets: Intentionally damaging a jointly owned car or home.

3. Economic Sabotage: Undermining Economic Stability
This involves actively undermining the victim's ability to be economically self-sufficient and maintain financial stability.

• Examples:

  • Employment Interference: Harassing the victim at work, causing them to be late, or forcing them to quit.

  • Damaging Credit: Running up debts in the victim's name and refusing to pay, ruining their credit score.

  • Depleting Savings: Draining the victim's savings or retirement accounts.

  • Legal Exploitation: Using the court system to burden the victim with costly legal fees after separation.

The Distinguishing Factor: Coercion and Control

The key element that separates economic abuse from poor financial management is the presence of coercion, fear, and control. A victim of economic abuse does not make "bad" financial decisions out of ignorance or carelessness; they make them under duress, as a calculated trade-off for their physical or psychological safety.

In essence, economic abuse is not about money, it is about using money as a weapon to enforce dependency and eliminate choice. Understanding this distinction is crucial for professionals, as it reframes the client's behavior from "irrational" to "a survival strategy in a hostile environment.