While many people recognize that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a scourge on Canadian society, very few people have heard of economic abuse. According to a 2019 report from Statistics Canada, at least 50% of women in shelters for victims of IPV have also been victims of economic abuse. It is a method of psychological warfare which leaves victims terrorized, disempowered, and mentally unwell. Unlike other forms of IPV, economic abuse often continues long after a relationship has ended. Due to the enduring stigmatization of conversations around money, it is also the least spoken about form of abuse.
Abuse changes the brain. Many women who have left abusive relationships have brains which mirror those of war veterans. Economic abuse has unique impacts on the mental health of victims. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is 7 times higher in relationships where economic abuse has occurred. Economic abuse is also the strongest indicator of suicide attempts for women in abusive relationships. Abuse also contributes to scarcity mindset. Women who are controlled economically and have never been able to flourish will feel as if there will never be enough money. As a result, they have high levels of anxiety, fear, and stress, which causes them to make more unwise decisions, or be unable to see long-term financial solutions. In essence, economic abuse almost guarantees that the cycle of abuse will continue, as it leaves women vulnerable.
In order to address the impact of intimate-partner violence, Canada needs to consider economic abuse as a separate, insidious and far-reaching form of abuse. The Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment (CCFWE) is currently the only organization in Canada dedicated to ending economic abuse. In order for survivors of intimate-partner violence to be truly cared for, it is imperative that Canadians address the mental health implications of economic abuse. Sign the CCFWE pledge to address economic abuse and tell the Canadian government it needs to act now to include economic abuse in federal policies.
By Dr Selena Rathwell, CCFWE Volunteer
