Glad You Asked: What is Financial Abuse?

What is Financial Abuse?

Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive, controlling behavior by an abuser inflicted on another that can include physical, emotional/psychological, sexual, and/or financial abuse. Financial abuse is domestic violence and is often one of the many tactics an abuser inflicts upon their victim.

Financial abuse occurs in 99 percent of domestic violence cases. It can have far-reaching and devastating effects. Examples of financial abuse might include: forcing a partner to miss, leave, or be late to work; harassing a partner at work; controlling how money is spent; withholding money or basic living resources; giving a partner an “allowance;” stealing money, credit, property, or identity from a partner; and/or forcing a partner to file fraudulent legal financial documents or overspend on credit cards.

Learn more about financial abuse on the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s website at https://nnedv.org/content/about-financial-abuse/, on Women’s Law’s website at https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/forms-abuse/financial-abuse/getting-your-money-back-and-other-help, and on Women’s Health’s website at https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/other-types/financial-abuse.

How does Financial Abuse Affect Stability?

One of the effects of financial abuse is the loss of housing when a victim is forced to leave the perpetrator due to abuse. Finding available, affordable housing can be very difficult for a victim who has left their home.

The following graphic shows statistics from 2018 for the availability and cost of rental housing in Kansas. It can be seen on the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website at https://nlihc.org/housing-needs-by-state/kansas.

Because of the shortage and cost of rental housing, many victims who have been forced to leave their home spend more than half of their income on housing. This high percentage of income spent just on housing means that victims likely sacrifice other necessities like food and healthcare to pay the rent. They also continue to experience unstable housing situations like evictions.

Learn more on the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website at https://reports.nlihc.org/oor.

Learn more about financial abuse and on resources for recovery on the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s website at https://nnedv.org/mdocs-posts/financial-abuse-fact-sheet/.

Read the full KCSDV Summer 2019 Newsletter in PDF format.

The Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV)’s mission is to prevent and eliminate sexual and domestic violence. Find more information on KCSDV’s website at http://kcsdv.org.

The 24-hour Kansas Crisis Hotline is 888-END-ABUSE (888-363-2287).