One economic abuse victim dies every three weeks, new report says

Such abuse can include control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills and borrowing, as well as access to transport, technology, property, food and clothing NewsUKHome NewsOne economic abuse victim dies every three weeks, new report saysSuch abuse can include control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills and borrowing, as well as access to transport, technology, property, food and clothingAine Fox Thursday 05 March 2026 00:01 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverRelated: Rasul Freelain, the police officer who arrested Heather Mack multiple times for domestic violence against her mother, talks about what happened after she was convicted for murderYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. 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We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreEconomic abuse, a pervasive form of coercive control, is linked to the death of a victim every three weeks across England and Wales, new analysis reveals.The charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) described the findings as a "wake-up call", emphasising that this type of abuse "is not just a money problem" but a significant danger.Their comprehensive study, based on over 400 formal reviews of deaths between 2012 and 2024, concluded that one individual died every 19 days in cases involving both economic abuse and intimate partner violence.SEA clarified that economic abuse encompasses control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills, and borrowing, alongside restricting access to essential resources such as transport, technology, property, food, and clothing.The charity analysed Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), which are carried out when someone over the age of 16 dies or is suspected to have died after abuse, violence or neglect from a current or former intimate partner, someone they were related to, or a member of the same household.Their findings found that more than half (51% or 231 reviews) involved economic abuse “in the context of intimate partner violence”, with the majority of victims female and most perpetrators male.But the charity said the panels identified economic abuse in fewer than half of those 231 reviews where the charity felt it had been identified.They also said victims of this form of abuse tended to be younger, with an average age of 40, compared to victims in all other cases, including for example domestic abuse, being on average 52 years old.Deaths were by homicide or suicide and the charity said the number of deaths is likely to be higher as some victims might have experienced economic abuse that was not identified or recorded in the review.Get a free fractional share worth up to £100.Capital at risk.Terms and conditions apply.Go to websiteADVERTISEMENTGet a free fractional share worth up to £100.Capital at risk.Terms and conditions apply.Go to websiteADVERTISEMENTopen image in galleryThe research into the impact of control of finances should be a “wake-up call” and shows this kind of abuse “is not just a money problem” (Andy Dean - stock.adobe.com)While a statutory definition of domestic abuse did come into effect under legislation in 2021, which emphasised that domestic abuse can include economic abuse, the charity said “further work is needed to raise awareness of economic abuse and provide training to enhance understanding among local panels”.Sam Smethers, chief executive of SEA, said: “This report should be a wake-up call. Economic abuse is not just a money problem – it is central to coercive control, and it kills.“Every three weeks, a victim dies because of an abuser who uses economic abuse as a tool for control. But the true toll of economic abuse is likely to be much higher.“These are not just statistics. Every year, we hear the names of women killed by men read out in parliament by minister Jess Phillips through the work of the Counting Dead Women project.“Some women are killed directly by abusers; others die by suicide, often linked to the perpetrators’ ongoing economic abuse and feeling there is no way out.“The evidence is clear: economic abuse is a serious risk factor for homicide and suicide.“We cannot wait for another woman’s life to be lost.“With the Government committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, all agencies must act urgently to identify economic abuse