What is Domestic Abuse, And Does it Include Financial Abuse?

Coercive control and controlling behaviour  

Coercive control is an act, or pattern of acts, of assault, threats, humiliation, and intimidation used to harm, punish or frighten the victim and makes the other completely dependent on the perpetrator.

The perpetrator will isolate the victim from any other support, remove the victim’s independence and make it practically impossible for the victim to leave or live an unregulated life.

The perpetrator may also control the victim’s finances and dictate how much the victim can spend (if at all) – this is discussed in further detail below.

Physical and sexual abuse 

This type of abuse is what most people think of when they think about domestic abuse. It involves the perpetrator physically harming, injuring, or restraining the victim or using violence against property or items in the victim’s presence.

Sexual abuse includes the perpetrator forcing the victim to engage in a sexual act or sexual intercourse with them or other people, physically hurting the victim during sex or dictating or sabotaging the victim’s use of contraception.

Psychological/emotional abuse 

This is a non-physical abuse that can occur alongside other types of abuse and involves the perpetrator carrying out behaviours that control, isolate or frighten the victim and often cause the victim to lose their self-esteem and confidence, such as name-calling, shouting, threats or insults.

Online abuse 

This form of abuse involves the perpetrator monitoring the victim’s social media, emails, texts and tracking the victim’s location. It can also include sharing intimate photos or videos without the owner’s consent.

What is financial abuse?

Financial abuse can include the following actions or behaviours by the perpetrator:

• restricting the victim’s access to bank accounts or money;
• putting assets in their sole name to the exclusion of the victim;
• putting or transferring debt into the name of the victim;
• preventing the victim from attending employment, college or university;
• adding their name to the victim’s bank account without asking or telling the victim;
• monitoring the victim’s spending habits or asking for explanations or evidence of certain (or all) expenditures.

The recent case of Richard Spencer, who suffered 20 years of abuse from his wife, demonstrates the reality of financial abuse. In conjunction with horrific, prolonged physical and emotional abuse, the wife, in this case, also pressured Richard into taking out loans for holidays, thereby dictating how he managed his finances.

She also refused to pay her share of the bills as a form of punishment against Richard, meaning he would have to pay the balance from his own money.

Financial abuse leaves the victim without financial freedom or independence. They may never receive or have the ability to spend their salary, or they may not be able to work and earn a living at all.

They may be under constant surveillance and live in fear of being questioned about their spending, told what to spend their money on, or may not have any control over their finances at all.

This can significantly impact the victim’s self-esteem and feelings of self-worth and independence.

Financial abuse can occur during financial proceedings in divorce cases. It may be that one party to the divorce is lying about their financial situation or their own finances, or even perhaps restricting access to joint bank accounts or financial information.

Issues can also arise where one party has been financially abusive during the marriage and, upon divorce, the other party has no knowledge of the matrimonial property or finances, and financial disclosure becomes extremely difficult.

The perpetrator may continue to hide financial property and be cooperative when providing financial disclosure.