Financial abuse in the United Kingdom

This seminar will present the findings of a study into the prevalence of financial abuse in the UK. Commissioned by the Cooperative Bank, analysis of the findings establishes the different forms that this type of abuse takes and addresses differences in the experience of financial abuse based on gender. An overview will then be given of a range of different initiatives that are being undertaken to address financial abuse and support victims. These include awareness-raising campaigns, responses from the banking industry and new legislation to prosecute financial abuse when it forms part of a pattern of coercive control.

Nicola Sharp-Jeffs has worked in the violence against women and girls sector since 2006. She is currently a Research Fellow within the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University. Her research interests include: financial/economic abuse as a form of coercive control; rebuilding lives after domestic violence; coordinated community responses to domestic violence; and ‘going missing’ in the context of woman and child abuse. In 2016, Nicola was made a Winston Churchill Fellow (www.wcmt.org.uk) and was awarded a grant to carry out research exploring innovative approaches to financial/economic abuse overseas.  

Julie Kun is a proud feminist and the CEO of WIRE Women’s information- a Victorian wide organisation with a vision of creating a society in which women are safe , respected , valued and empowered to make genuine choices in their lives.  As a social worker and social justice campaigner Julie has worked across many community services areas. Julie  testified before the Family Violence Royal Commission about the impact of financial abuse on Victorian women and led the Australian Services Union’s successful and ground breaking  campaign to have family violence leave included in industrial agreements and was a campaign organiser in the community services gender pay equity campaign.