Report reveals impact of coerced debt on women and children in Scotland

[IwantToRetire]

... victims are being trapped by abusers in long-term financial insecurity, often continuing after separation. Crucially, it reveals that responses across financial, public and institutional services frequently exacerbate the harm, with survivors encountering disbelief, victim-blaming and inflexible systems that fail to recognise the abuse underpinning the debt.

Coerced debt involves an abusive partner or ex-partner building up debt in the survivor’s name without consent or knowledge or through force, threat or coercion. The findings show this is not a marginal issue, but a widespread and systemic problem.

The research reveals that coerced debt is a common tactic of coercive control, with women reporting debts including credit cards, loans, rent and council tax arrears, utility bills and even debts linked to illegal money lending.

The report also highlights the role of illegal money lending in coerced debt. A small but significant number of survivors described being pushed towards loan sharks as a last resort, often to cover debts created through abuse or to meet basic needs. These lenders, who operate outside the law, frequently use intimidation, threats and extortionate interest rates, trapping survivors in further cycles of fear, control and escalating debt. ...

https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/report-reveals-impact-of-coerced-debt-on-women-and-children-in-scotland

This sounds like a type of financial abuse.

Yes indeed.

It has now been recognised for a while that use of money as a means of control is something many women have and are experiencing.

https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/

devastating to read the articles.

It’s weird to say but I have feared this before. When I have a bad argument with my husband, I go online and freeze my credit cards that he is an authorised cardholder for. He’s never gone on a shopping spree using my accounts but that is my go to reaction.
I guess because I have heard of things like this happening. A former friend said she used to buy a designer handbag on her husbands visa every time he was being a dick about the housework and would laugh about how much her collection was. He is quite rich so it’s not the same at all as financial abuse, but it made me think wow I’m actually a bit vulnerable if my husband were to think of doing something like this, I could be fooked.
So it’s good to make women aware that this is a thing. I don’t think anyone has ever warned me about this.

I hope now that it’s more recognised the women who end up with convictions for benefit fraud due that being a common tactic with financially abusive men (who then walk away Scot free as they’re not on the claim) receive the support they need to escape. Very often in my experience the fines dished out have the impact of giving the abuser more power because they leave the woman in an even more financially vulnerable position.