A startling new report reveals the devastating scale of economic abuse in the UK. At D&A Solicitors, we see the reality behind these statistics in Birmingham every day. It’s time to shine a light on financial control and its lasting impact on the youngest members of our society.
Introduction
When we think of domestic abuse, the images that immediately spring to mind are often physical: bruises, broken bones, and terrified calls to the police. For decades, this was the prevailing societal narrative—if you couldn't see the injury, it wasn't "real" abuse.
Fortunately, our understanding has evolved. We now recognise coercive control and emotional abuse as deeply damaging. Yet, there is one insidious form of abuse that remains largely hidden behind closed doors, bank statements, and empty cupboards: economic abuse.
A shocking new analysis published this week by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, has laid bare the terrifying scale of this issue. The report reveals that almost four million children in the UK are currently living in households affected by economic abuse.
Four million.
That figure is staggering. It means in classrooms across Birmingham and the wider UK, countless children are returning home to environments where money is used as a weapon. These children are described in the report as the "collateral damage" of financial control. They are the silent victims, witnessing deprivation and control that can shape their entire future.
At D&A Solicitors, these aren't just cold statistics. In our family law practice, we regularly sit across from clients—mostly mothers, but fathers too—who have been methodically stripped of their financial independence, leaving them and their children vulnerable.
This blog post aims to unpack the findings of this crucial report, explain exactly what economic abuse looks like under UK law, and explore the profound impact it has on children. Most importantly, we want to send a message to anyone in Birmingham reading this who recognises their own situation: it is abuse, it is illegal, and help is available.
What Exactly Is Economic Abuse?
Before understanding its impact on children, we must define what we are dealing with. Economic abuse is more than just a partner being "tight" with money or disagreements over household budgeting. It is a deliberate pattern of behaviour designed to control, isolate, and diminish another person by restricting their access to economic resources.
For a long time, this behaviour wasn't explicitly recognised in law. However, the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 changed the landscape significantly. The Act provided the first statutory definition of domestic abuse, explicitly including "economic abuse."
The Act defines it as any behaviour that has a substantial adverse effect on an individual’s ability to:
Acquire, use, or maintain money or other property, or
Obtain goods or services.
This legal recognition is vital because it validates the experiences of survivors and provides legal avenues for protection.
The Three Pillars of Economic Abuse
Economic abuse generally falls into three categories of behaviour:
1. Control This is about micromanaging the victim's access to existing resources. Examples include:
Insisting all wages or benefits are paid into the abuser's account.
Giving an adult partner a strict "allowance" like a child, and demanding receipts for every penny spent on essentials like bread or milk.
Denying access to bank accounts or online banking passwords.
Controlling how benefits are spent, even those intended specifically for children.
2. Sabotage This involves actively preventing the victim from acquiring their own resources and independence. Examples include:
Preventing a partner from working or attending job interviews (e.g., by hiding keys, failing to provide childcare, or causing arguments before important meetings).
Sabotaging education or training opportunities that could lead to financial independence.
Causing trouble at a partner’s workplace to get them fired.
3. Exploitation This is using the victim's financial standing for the abuser's gain, often leaving the victim with long-term liabilities. Examples include:
Running up huge debts on credit cards in the partner's name, sometimes without their knowledge.
Coercing a partner into taking out high-interest loans or mortgages.
Refusing to contribute to joint household bills or mortgage payments, ruining the victim's credit score.
Stealing children’s savings or birthday money.
The report highlights that this form of abuse is a primary reason victims remain trapped in dangerous relationships. The fear of destitution—of not being able to feed or house their children—keeps them tethered to their abuser.
The "Collateral Damage": How Children Experience Economic Abuse
The most heart-breaking aspect of the Surviving Economic Abuse report is the focus on children. The term "collateral damage" is devastatingly accurate. While the abuser’s primary target may be their partner, the shrapnel of financial control hits the children with profound force.
Children are incredibly perceptive. Even if parents think they are shielding them, children see, hear, and absorb the tension in a household dominated by economic control.
The Immediate Impact: Poverty and Deprivation
The most direct impact on children is a forced state of poverty, even in households where there should be adequate income. The abuser controls the tap, turning it off to punish or control.
For nearly four million children, this means daily life is defined by lack. The report details how abusers withhold money for absolute essentials. This translates into:
Food Insecurity: Children going to school hungry because there is no money for breakfast club or a packed lunch. Mothers often report skipping meals themselves so their children can eat something.
Inadequate Clothing: Children wearing ill-fitting uniforms, shoes with holes in them, or lacking warm coats in winter because the abuser refuses to release funds for replacements.
Social Isolation: Children being unable to attend birthday parties because they can't afford a gift, missing out on school trips, or being unable to participate in after-school clubs or hobbies. This isolates them from their peers and fosters a deep sense of shame and difference.
Housing Instability: Economic abuse is a leading cause of homelessness. If an abuser refuses to pay the mortgage or rent, the family faces eviction. We frequently see clients in Birmingham facing emergency housing situations because their ex-partner maliciously stopped paying the bills.
The Psychological and Emotional Impact
Beyond the physical deprivation, the emotional toll is severe. Living in a home where money is weaponized creates an atmosphere of constant anxiety and walking on eggshells.
Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, the chief executive of Surviving Economic Abuse, noted that children are "seeing, hearing and experiencing" the abuse. They witness their protective parent begging for money for essentials. They see the stress, the tears, and the fear.
This can lead to:
Anxiety and Fear: A constant worry about survival. Will we have electricity tonight? Will there be dinner?
Guilt and Shame: Children often internalise family problems. They may feel guilty for asking for new shoes or a school trip, knowing it will cause an argument or distress their protective parent. They may feel deep shame about their circumstances compared to their friends.
Warped View of Relationships and Money: Children learn by example. Growing up in this environment can distort their understanding of healthy relationships and financial management, potentially perpetuating a cycle of abuse or financial vulnerability in adulthood.
The Post-Separation Trap
A critical point raised in the report, and one we deal with frequently at D&A Solicitors, is that economic abuse rarely ends when the relationship does. In fact, it often escalates.
When a victim finds the courage to leave, they are at their most vulnerable physically and financially. The abuser, losing control, will often use money as their last remaining lever of power.
The report cites examples of abusers refusing to pay child maintenance as a primary tactic of post-separation abuse. This is not just about being "difficult"; it is a calculated attempt to plunge the former partner and children into poverty, force them to return, or simply to continue punishing them.
We see cases where abusers hide assets, lie about their income to the Child Maintenance Service, or drag out legal proceedings unnecessarily to bleed their former partner dry of legal fees.
One mother mentioned in the Guardian article described how her ex-husband ran up £40,000 of debt in her name and refused to pay child maintenance, leaving her "on her knees" financially while trying to raise their children. This story is tragically common. The abuser moves on, often living comfortably, while the protective parent and children are left to deal with the financial wreckage.
Legal Recourse: How the Law Can Protect You
It is vital to understand that since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the law is increasingly on your side. Economic abuse is recognised as a crime.
If you are in Birmingham and recognise these behaviours in your relationship, it is crucial to seek professional advice. At D&A Solicitors, we have extensive experience in using legal tools to protect victims of financial control.
Here are some of the legal avenues available:
1. Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders
While these are often associated with physical safety, they are highly relevant to economic abuse.
A Non-Molestation Order can prohibit an abuser from using threatening or coercive behaviour, which includes many forms of economic control.
An Occupation Order can determine who lives in the family home. If an abuser is using housing as a weapon (threatening to kick you out, refusing to pay the mortgage so you are evicted), the court can order that they leave the property and that you and the children have the right to remain, sometimes even ordering the abuser to continue paying the mortgage or rent.
2. Financial Orders in Divorce or Separation
During divorce proceedings, the court has wide powers to redistribute assets to ensure fairness. The court’s primary consideration is always the welfare of any children.
If one party has been economically abusive—for example, by hiding assets, dissipating savings, or running up debts—the court can take this conduct into account when deciding the financial settlement. We can work to uncover hidden assets and ensure that debts coerced into your name are considered fairly.
3. Tackling Child Maintenance Issues
While the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is the primary body for handling payments, solicitors can play a crucial role when the system is being abused. If an ex-partner is fraudulently misrepresenting their income to avoid paying for their children, legal action can sometimes be taken to challenge this or to seek top-up orders through the courts in certain circumstances.
4. Legal Aid
We understand that the very nature of economic abuse means victims often have no access to funds for legal advice. Legal aid is available for many victims of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, to help with injunctions and family law matters.
The evidence requirements for legal aid have been broadened. You do not necessarily need a police conviction against your partner. Evidence from support organizations, GPs, or the nature of the financial control itself can sometimes be sufficient. Our team at D&A Solicitors can assess your eligibility for legal aid immediately.
Conclusion: Breaking the Cycle in Birmingham
The statistic that four million children are affected by economic abuse is a wake-up call for our society. We cannot allow financial control to remain the "hidden" abuse.
We need to talk about it, recognise the signs, and ensure that the legal system is used to its full extent to protect the victims—both the adults and the "collateral damage," the children.
If you are reading this and it sounds uncomfortably familiar, please know that it is not your fault. You are not bad with money; you are being controlled. You are not failing your children; you are surviving in an impossible situation.
At D&A Solicitors in Birmingham, we offer a confidential, empathetic, and judgment-free space to discuss your situation. We understand the complexities of economic abuse and how difficult it is to break free when your financial lifeline is being held hostage.
We are here to help you regain control, secure your financial future, and, most importantly, protect your children from the devastating impact of economic abuse. Please do not suffer in silence. Reach out to us today.
Comments
Post a Comment