Domestic Abuse

We recognise that statutory demands, bankruptcy petitions and other debt-recovery or insolvency proceedings may be used by perpetrators as a form of economic abuse, where they are used to control, coerce or cause financial harm to a victim. Economic abuse is included in the definition of domestic abuse in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and the statutory guidance already recognises examples such as running up debt in a victim’s name and manipulating professionals, agencies and systems. We will publish updated guidance by the end of 2026 to strengthen recognition of wider forms of economic abuse.

Economic abuse can also amount to the office of Controlling or Coercive Behaviour, under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, where it takes place repeatedly or continuously, the victim and perpetrator are “personally connected” and the behaviour has a serious effect on the victim. Economic abuse can also amount to the office of Controlling or Coercive Behaviour, under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, where the legal criteria are met.

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy outlined a package of commitments to tackle economic abuse. This included a commitment from His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) to work with Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) to ensure coerced debt is reflected accurately on victims’ credit files, and to ensure the third sector develops an approach that supports all victims of economic abuse.

The Home Office provides funding to Surviving Economic Abuse to strengthen financial systems against this abuse, raise awareness and conduct research. This includes £200,000 in the 2026/27 financial year. Surviving Economic Abuse are also trialling the Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF) as a single mechanism to communicate evidence of coerced debt to creditors. The EAEF aims to provide a quicker, easier and more consistent way for creditors and debt advice services to support victims and survivors of economic abuse.

The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls attended an economic abuse roundtable hosted by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 3^rd June and remains committed to working closely with her HMT counterparts as they deliver on this agenda.