Financial abuse
Financial abuse
Financial or economic violence refers to behaviours that control, limit, or exploit a person’s access to money, employment, or financial resources, reducing their independence and ability to support themselves.
It is often used as a form of control, creating dependence and making it harder for the person to leave unsafe or harmful situations. Economic abuse is now widely recognized as a distinct form of interpersonal violence. This form of violence commonly occurs within intimate partner and family relationships but may also arise in caregiving, elder abuse, or coercive control contexts.
Examples include preventing someone from working or continuing education, controlling their income, restricting access to bank accounts, hiding financial information, forcing debt in their name, stealing money, or refusing to contribute to basic living expenses.
It may also involve interfering with employment, damaging credit, or withholding necessities such as food, housing, or medical care.
Consequences include financial insecurity, housing instability, and reduced access to healthcare. Economic abuse can keep individuals trapped in unsafe and abusive environments and may continue even after a relationship ends, affecting long-term well-being and recovery of the victim.
Statistics on violence in Europe
Economic and psychological intimate partner violence are common but less visible
Sources: 2026 EU gender-based violence survey – Evidence for policy and practice, FRA, Eurostat, European Institute for Gender Equality. Figures are indicative; verify latest data before publication.
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29.9% of women experienced psychological violence by their partner. This includes humiliation, jealousy, intimidation or controlling behaviours.
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For 12.7% it happens frequently. Where additional questions were asked, 20.3% of women have experienced economic violence by their partner, such as not being allowed to work and a lack of control over family finances.
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Economic violence is almost as widespread as physical intimate partner violence (9.3 %)
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Economic violence rarely happens in isolation. Among women who have experienced economic violence by an intimate partner, 90 % have also experienced psychological violence and 54 % have experienced physical violence.
Looking for Help?
Get an Answer
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Recognize what it looks like
Financial abuse includes controlling all the money and giving you an “allowance”, taking your wages or benefits, blocking you from working or studying (or sabotaging your job — making you late, harassing you at work), running up debt in your name or coercing you into loans and credit cards (“coerced debt”), hiding assets, refusing to contribute to shared costs, demanding receipts for everything, and keeping you in the dark about household finances.
The common thread is dependence and control, not the amount of money involved.
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Build a degree of financial independence, carefully and privately
This is the heart of it, and it must be done in a way that won’t be discovered, because financial moves can trigger escalation. Where safe to do so:
Open a bank account in your own name at a different bank from any shared accounts, and have it send statements electronically or to a safe address rather than home.
Start a small, private emergency fund however you can. Εven small amounts set aside over time add up and buy options later.
If you receive wages or benefits, look into whether they can be paid into an account the abuser can’t see or access.
Use a safe mailing address (a trusted person’s home, a PO box) for anything financial, so sensitive mail doesn’t arrive where it can be intercepted.
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Secure your documents and information
Gather copies (photos or scans stored somewhere safe) of your ID and passport, bank and card details, tax records, payslips, property deeds or rental agreements, insurance, loan and debt records, and any benefits paperwork.
Know which accounts exist, who is named on them, and the passwords.
Having this ready is one of the things that makes leaving feasible when the moment comes.
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Protect your credit and check for debt in your name
Coerced debt is common and can damage your finances for years.
Periodically check what’s been taken out in your name, change passwords and PINs the abuser may know, and set up alerts where you can.
If debt was forced or fraudulent, keep evidence. Ιt can sometimes be challenged later with legal help.
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Document it, like any other abuse
The same logic as the stalking log applies: keep a dated record of incidents money taken, accounts you were blocked from, threats about money, times you were prevented from working.
A financial paper trail matters for protection orders, divorce or custody proceedings, and debt disputes.
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Get specialist help
This is genuinely worth it, because financial abuse intersects with law, banking, and benefits in ways that are hard to navigate alone.
A lawyer can advise on protecting assets, debt, and your rights in any separation; an advocate can help with a financial safety plan.
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Plan financial readiness into any exit
If and when you’re preparing to leave, financial preparation is part of safety planning:
the private account, the emergency fund, the documents, knowing your entitlements to benefits or support.Leaving without this is harder and riskier, which is precisely why abusers create the dependence in the first place.
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A note on the emotional side
Financial abuse is engineered to make you feel incapable of managing on your own.
That feeling is a product of the abuse, not a true measure of your ability. Μany people who’ve been told for years they “can’t cope with money” manage perfectly well once the control is removed.
Build a financial-abuse incident, or a private “financial readiness” checklist (documents to gather, accounts to set up, steps to take).
Financial Abuse Toolkit
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What’s inside
“Readiness Checklist” practical steps toward financial safety and independence. Mark each item’s status and note where things are kept.
“Incident Log” a dated record of financial-abuse incidents (money taken, blocked accounts, coerced debt, being stopped from working, etc.).
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How to use it
Work through the checklist at your own pace and only as dar as is SAFE. Some steps can trigger escalation if discovered prioritise your safety.
Log incidents factually and promptly: date, what happened, the amount, the account affected. The pattern matters as much as any single event.
Don’t delete entries. A financial paper trail supports protection orders, divorce or custody proceedings, and debt disputes.
Keep the underlying proof too: statements, screenshots, photos of documents and note in the log where each is stored.
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Storing this file safely
Keep it where the abuser cannot reach it: avoid shared computers, shared cloud accounts, or family phone plans they can access.
Consider a password-protected file, a private cloud account they don’t know about, or a trusted person’s device.
Use a safe mailing address (a trusted person, a PO box) for financial mail so sensitive documents don’t arrive where they can be intercepted.
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Getting specialist help
Financial abuse crosses law, banking and benefits, specialist help is worth it. A lawyer can advise on assets, debt and your rights.
In Greece: 15900 (national SOS line, 24/7, free, Greek & English) connects you to counselling centres offering legal and employment support.
Emergency: 100 (police) or 112.
How to ask for help
Organizations, helplines, and support resources.