Help with domestic, financial and economic abuse

Domestic abuse is about power and control. It can involve behaviour that makes someone feel afraid, controlled or unable to make their own choices. It often happens between partners or ex-partners, but can also involve family members, carers or people in positions of trust.

Domestic abuse can include:

• coercive control: behaviour that limits someone’s independence or makes them feel afraid
• psychological or emotional abuse: threats, insults, humiliation, manipulation or gaslighting
• physical or sexual abuse: physical harm, threats of harm, or sexual activity someone is forced, pressured or coerced into
• harassment or stalking: persistent unwanted contact, monitoring or intimidation
• online or digital abuse: using phones, email, social media or online banking to control, threaten or harass someone

Domestic abuse can affect every part of someone’s life, including their mental, emotional, physical, social and financial wellbeing. Children and young people can also be affected, whether they experience abuse directly or witness it at home.

Financial and economic abuse is when someone uses money, financial products or things money can buy, such as food and clothing, to control, restrict or exploit you.

Someone may:

• stop you from working, studying or getting to your job
• take control of your bank accounts or stop you accessing your money
• make you explain or justify how you spend your money
• withhold money or stop you buying essentials
• take out credit cards, loans or other financial products in your name
• spend household money without your knowledge
• take money from your account without your consent
• make repeated small payments to harass or intimidate you

Abuse can sometimes happen through faster payments. This is known as abusive payments.

It happens when payment references are used to send harmful or distressing messages, often linked to essential payments such as child maintenance.

Examples include:

• offensive or threatening messages
• hidden or coded messages that have a personal or traumatic meaning
• harassment through repeated small payments

If this is happening to you, contact us. We'll talk through your options and do what we can to help.