Economic abuse is a hidden form of gender based violence. It happens when someone uses money, debt, work, housing, transportation, technology, or other resources to control another person.
It affects up to 96 percent of women who experience abuse, limiting their safety, freedom, financial independence, and ability to rebuild their lives.
Financial Abuse and Economic Abuse
Financial abuse and economic abuse are closely connected, but they are not the same.
Financial abuse usually involves controlling money, banking, credit, debt, or access to financial information.
Economic abuse is broader. It can include financial abuse, but it also includes blocking access to work, education, housing, transportation, childcare, technology, food, health care, and other basic needs. Both are forms of control. Both can limit a survivor’s safety, freedom, and ability to rebuild their life.
Economic abuse can happen in many ways. It may include controlling money, creating debt, blocking access to work or education, or using financial systems to cause harm.
Economic control happens when someone limits or controls your access to money and basic needs.This may include controlling your bank account, credit cards, cash, food, housing, transportation, health care, or daily spending.
Economic exploitation happens when someone uses your money, identity, credit, property, or financial information without your full and free consent.This may include taking your income, using your identity, opening accounts in your name, creating debt, or damaging your credit.
Employment and education sabotage happens when someone stops you from working, studying, attending school, or building financial independence. This may include interfering with transportation or childcare, harassing you at work, damaging your phone or laptop, or preventing you from going to work or school.
Coerced debt is a form of economic abuse. It happens when someone forces, pressures, tricks, or controls you into taking on debt, or creates debt in your name without your clear consent.This may include loans, credit cards, phone bills, rent, utilities, contracts, or other financial products.
Technology can be used to control, monitor, exploit, or financially harm someone.This may include accessing online banking, changing passwords, using phone plans to create debt, tracking spending, sending threats through digital payment tools, or damaging online business and digital accounts. It can also include fraud, scams, identity theft, fake accounts, and misuse of digital financial products to create debt or financial harm.
“Economic abuse is one of the most hidden forms of violence because it follows survivors long after separation. It carries debt, shame, fear, and barriers that can take years to rebuild from. Too often, women are failed by the systems meant to protect them, and children carry the impact through lost stability, insecurity, and generational trauma.”
– Meseret Haileyesus, CEO CCFWE
Economic abuse can continue after a relationship ends.
This may include refusing to pay child support, hiding income, leaving survivors responsible for joint debt, refusing to cooperate on shared financial products, or using children’s expenses to create pressure and control.
Post separation economic abuse can make it harder for survivors to heal and move forward.
Many survivors feel shame, fear, or confusion when they experience economic abuse. But economic abuse is real, and support is available. You deserve safety, dignity, choice, and financial freedom. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
CCFWE is Canada’s leading organization advancing economic safety, financial inclusion, and justice for survivors of economic abuse, coerced debt, and financial exploitation. Through research, education, survivor informed tools, policy, law reform, and systems change, we work with partners to remove barriers and build safer pathways to economic security.
Corporate partners and institutions can book CCFWE’s high standard economic abuse education, training, and advisory support. Participants will learn how to recognize, prevent, and respond to economic abuse, coerced debt, and financial exploitation. Certificates can be provided upon completion.
Contact us [email protected] to book a workshop or explore partnership opportunities.
