Key facts
- UK domestic abuse charities have reported a significant increase in perpetrators using financial coercion.
- Refuge saw a 78% rise in referrals for technology-facilitated or economic abuse in the past year.
- Referrals for economic abuse cases more than doubled, from 198 to 414.
- A concerning rise in victims being coerced into car finance agreements has been observed.
- Research indicates over 1 million young women in the UK have experienced economic abuse.
- Charities are calling for government action to create a working group to address the problem.
Domestic abuse charities in the UK have reported a significant and "staggering" increase in perpetrators using financial and technological means to control their victims. Refuge, the UK's largest specialist domestic abuse charity, has seen a 78% rise in referrals for cases involving technology-facilitated or economic abuse over the past year, with referrals to its specialist unit rising from 542 to 967 between April 2025 and March 2026.
The number of victims reporting economic abuse more than doubled, from 198 to 414. This form of abuse includes restricting access to money or preventing partners from accessing bank accounts, but has increasingly involved coercing or manipulating victims into taking out loans or credit agreements. Specialists at Refuge have noted a significant rise in cases involving car finance over the last two years.
Survivors shared harrowing experiences, including being coerced into signing for car finance agreements for vehicles they did not use, leading to substantial early termination fees and damaged credit scores. One survivor, Zara, was left liable for an £11,000 termination fee. Another, Sara, was pressured into signing for a luxury car worth over £100,000, despite sales staff witnessing her argument with her partner at the dealership.
Separate research from Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), conducted by Ipsos UK, found that over 1 million young women across the UK are experiencing economic abuse. The study revealed that 36% of girls and young women aged 16 to 24 experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner in the past year. Worryingly, almost one in three of all girls between 16 and 18 reported experiencing economic abuse, with nearly one in five saying it began within the first month of the relationship.
Refuge is advocating for government action, proposing a working group comprising specialist support services, car finance providers, and credit reference agencies to address the escalating problem. Francesca Ferrier, senior economic empowerment partnerships manager at Refuge, stated that many financial institutions lack the skills to identify economic abuse, hindering survivors' ability to resolve debt and regain financial independence. SEA's chief executive, Sam Smethers, emphasized the need for parents, teachers, and educators to recognize the warning signs of economic abuse in teenagers.