Your partner could be ARRESTED for controlling your money under new Domestic Abuse Bill
Almost all women who have been a victim of domestic violence will also suffer from some form of financial abuse
YOUR partner could soon be arrested for controlling your money as financial abuse is to be recognised by the law, The Sun understands.
One in five adults have experienced financial or economic abuse in a relationship.
While almost all women who have been a victim of domestic violence will also suffer from some form of economic abuse, according to charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA).
Domestic abuse is not currently recognised as a criminal offence but it's expected that this could soon change.
In March last year, the Government launched a consultation on the issue and next week it's expected to officially recognise economic abuse in a new Domestic Abuse Bill.
At the time of the launch in 2018, it said that situations where "victims have finance withheld, are denied access to employment or transport, or are forced to take out loans and enter into other financial contracts" should be considered domestic abuse.
It's hoped a new Bill will make it easier for law enforcement officers and prosecutors to help victims.
"The consultation on the new Bill proposed inclusion of economic abuse within the statutory definition and we don’t anticipate this being dropped," Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, founder of SEA, told The Sun.
"Inclusion would be transformative - recognising it as a form of abuse is important for raising awareness."
What is economic abuse?
MONEY can be a powerful method to control someone else, and it includes the below, according to charity Living Without Abuse (LWA):
- Taking money from them
- Not allowing them access to shared money
- Making them account for everything spent
- Making them beg for money
- Preventing them from gaining employment
- Causing them to lose, or forcing them to give up, employment
- Taking out loans, credit cards or running up debts in the victim’s name
- Forcing them to commit crimes for money
- Not allowing them to buy necessities, for themselves or their children, including sufficient food
- Financial abuse can also be when the perpetrator is spending money needed to maintain the home on themselves
If you're a victim of domestic abuse you can contact the free National Helpline on 0808 2000 247 - it's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Other professionals such as the police, GPs, health visitors and teachers are also able to offer advice and put you in touch with specialist domestic abuse support services.
"Society still generally associates domestic abuse primarily with physical violence - there is little recognition that economic resources are used to control a partner," Dr Sharp-Jeffs added.
"Yet physical and economic safety are interlinked - if an individual can’t access the resources they need to leave they will stay longer and experience more harm as a result."
A spokesperson for the Home Office told The Sun it cannot confirm when a new Domestic Abuse Bill will come into effect.
More on money
Last year, campaigners claimed that Universal Credit stops "victims of domestic abuse escaping their relationships" as partners were able to control their partners' access to funds.
It was then followed by warnings from MPs over the same issue.
Meanwhile, the laws surrounding domestic violence were changed over the summer - here are 11 things that are illegal for your partner to do.
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