Tackling economic abuse with Financially Included
Plus, a special round-up for this year's 16 Days of Activism
Self-care note: This newsletter talks about gender-based violence and goes into economic and financial abuse specifically. If you find this distressing or triggering, remember to take it at your own pace. You may prefer to read small sections, wait until you feel ready to read it all, or choose not to read it at all. If you are affected by the themes explored in this article, you can reach out to Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 027 1234 email helpline@sdafmh.org.uk; or Rape Crisis Scotland at 08088 01 03 02.
Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which, if you’ve never heard about it before, is a global observance aimed at raising awareness and taking action to end gender-based violence in all its forms. It’s also the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a worldwide campaign that brings attention to the many ways women and girls are affected by violence and calls for change.
Globally, an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime. This means that 30% of women aged 15 and older have been subjected to violence in some form. Most of this violence is committed by current or former husbands or intimate partners.
Although much of the conversation around gender-based violence focuses on physical and emotional harm, one form of abuse that is less often discussed is financial abuse. In the UK, 16% of adults — approximately 8.7 million people — say they have experienced economic abuse. This can take many forms, from having debt taken out in their name without consent to being prevented from accessing money or employment. Sixty per cent of victim-survivors of coercive control have been coerced into taking out debt, which often takes years to repay and can severely impact credit ratings.
While many initiatives on the 25th of November focus on highlighting the serious problems women and girls face, we wanted to take a moment to spotlight one of the projects working on the ground to provide support and offer solutions to victim-survivors. To do so, we sat down for an interview with Financially Included, a Glasgow-based initiative focused on tackling the hidden impact of economic and financial abuse.
Financially Included: Supporting survivors of economic abuse
Financially Included is a partnership project between GEMAP and the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership, funded through the Scottish Government’s Delivering Equally Safe fund. The initiative is dedicated to providing tailored, trauma-informed support to survivors of economic and financial abuse, helping them regain their financial independence and break free from the cycle of abuse that extends far beyond physical violence.
“Economic abuse is such a hidden form of gender-based violence,” Lizzy Wilson, the projects’s Training and Engagement Officer, tells Pillow Talk Scotland. “This is because it’s rooted in coercive control.”
What does economic abuse look like?
Economic abuse can take many forms. Victim-survivors may be coerced into debt, denied access to money, or prevented from working altogether. Wilson explains how seemingly minor actions can accumulate and limit women’s independence:
“Imagine I have to drive to work every day, but my partner hides my car keys. I can’t get to work and lose my income as a result.
Or say I rely on taking my kids to school so I can work, but the school uniforms have been destroyed. I can’t take the kids to school, which means I can’t work.”
These actions, though seemingly trivial, are often designed to isolate women and prevent them from maintaining financial independence.
The challenge of recognising and responding to economic abuse
Wilson also highlights a major gap in the support network available to victim-survivors. “In mainstream money advice charities, clients might come in with a problem, but they’re also dealing with addiction or other challenges. People know how to respond to those situations. But when it comes to domestic abuse, gender-based violence, or economic abuse, people often don’t know how to respond.”
This lack of awareness and understanding of economic abuse in mainstream services leaves victim-survivors without the specific help they need. Even when they manage to escape their abusers, the financial damage of the relationship often remain, preventing them from rebuilding their lives.
This is where Financially Included steps in. The project provides holistic support, helping victim-survivors deal with the financial aftermath of abuse, such as debt, damaged credit ratings, and the loss of financial independence. They offer not only advice on managing debt but also assist victim-survivors in regaining confidence and autonomy.
What sets Financially Included apart is their personalised and trauma-informed approach. Advisors in mainstream services often have heavy caseloads, which can limit the time and attention they can dedicate to each individual. By contrast, clients of Financially Included work with one dedicated advisor throughout their journey. This continuity is crucial in creating a supportive environment where clients do not have to repeatedly relive their trauma by explaining their story over and over.
Economic abuse is such a hidden form of gender-based violence
Additionally, Financially Included offers time-flexible support. If a client is supported for three months and later returns after six months, they aren’t placed back at the bottom of a referral list. The door remains open, ensuring that survivors can access the help they need, whenever they need it.
Another critical aspect of Financially Included’s work is its community engagement. The project has trained over 130 financial advisors across Glasgow to recognise the signs of economic abuse and provide appropriate support to victim-survivors. This is part of their broader mission to change how the community perceives and responds to financial abuse.
A key exercise in this training is the Tower of Life, a powerful visual tool that demonstrates how economic abuse dismantles a victim-survivor’s stability. In this exercise, each block in the tower represents a critical aspect of life — housing, income, social connections, and self-esteem. As blocks are removed, participants can see how quickly a life can unravel under coercive control.
Wilson describes the exercise as akin to Jenga, where each block represents something vital to a person’s wellbeing (pictured below). "We simulate scenarios where these blocks are slowly removed, showing how life can crumble under control and isolation."
In just two and a half years, the project has helped secure over £2 million in financial gains for women through debt write-offs, benefit claims, and grants. For instance, one client had £18,000 of coerced debt, including a £12,000 loan her abusive partner had taken out in her name. She was unaware of most of these debts. Through the support of her advisor, the £12,000 loan was successfully written off.
“Imagine being burdened with that much debt — debt you didn’t even consent to. Getting that debt removed lifts an enormous weight, giving women the chance to rebuild their lives,” Wilson said.
This approach has led to transformative changes in the lives of women who thought they had nowhere to turn. One client shared, "I really can’t thank you enough. I was totally lost, didn’t know where to go or what to do. Thank you."
However, the challenges are far from over. Public sector debt, particularly council tax arrears, remains a major obstacle. Under Scottish law, victim-survivors are still held responsible for such debts, regardless of whether they were incurred without their knowledge or consent. These cases now make up more than half of Financially Included's caseload, illustrating the systemic barriers survivors face in achieving true financial independence and stability.
Economic abuse is a serious, often hidden form of gender-based violence, but projects like Financially Included are working hard to help survivors regain their financial independence. If you'd like to learn more about their work or find out how you can support their efforts, visit their website at http://www.gemap.co.uk/about-us/nhsgcc-violence-against-women/
And if you’re looking to learn more about violence against women and girls during this year’s 16 Days of Activism, we have gathered a series of events happening in Scotland and online.
Community Empowerment Training. 26 November, Tillicoultry.
Active Bystander Training. 28 November, Dundee.
Fight for the Night March. 28 November, Glasgow.
Inverclyde Women's Aid Fire Walk. 29 November, Greenock.
An Evening of Universal Comedy. 30 November, Perth.
16 Days Spotlight Webinar: Women's political representation. 3 December, online.