How to know whether you’re at risk of a common form of abuse

New research has revealed who is most at risk of a common, yet largely unaddressed, form of abuse that hurts millions of Australians.

Just under 16 percent of women and 7 percent of men reported suffering “economic abuse” within a relationship, researchers at the RMIT University found.

Economic abuse is when a person controls or manipulates their partner’s access to money or assets or removes their ability to make financial decisions. It can range from one partner depriving the other of basics such as food or shelter to preventing the person from working, using the family car or internet, or having access to shared money, and even damaging or destroying their property.

A common form of economic abuse is when one partner coerces the other to take on debt, either as a guarantor or co-signatory, or agree to disadvantageous business arrangements, to the abusive partner’s benefit.

Jozica Kutin, one of the RMIT researchers who authored the study, told Starts at 60 that people were often unaware their partner’s behaviour was abusive until they sought financial advice for another reason, such as to take out a loan.

“It’s not until people come to see financial counsellors or someone similar and they look through the details of what’s going on with their finances that someone says ‘hey, why is all this money going out to another bank account?” Kutin said.

The researchers sieved through data collected in 2012 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on more than 17,000 people to identify the people most at risk of economic abuse.

They found women in the 40-49 age group and particularly those who were experiencing financial stress – defined as not being able to pay bills – or suffering from a disability or long-term health issue were most likely to experience this kind of abuse. Women in the 50-59 age group were not far behind their younger cohort when it came to risk level.

“Even when you controlled for employment, education, income and age group, for women two of the big signifiers of economic abuse are financial stress and long-term health issues or a disability,” Kutin said.

Kutin said the problem was particularly acute for women who were separated or divorced.

“We know women are worse off once they divorce or separate, not just in terms of superannuation, pensions or housing, but they also have all this debt to deal with going forward,” she said.

Kutin noted that there was help available for people who suspected they were being abused in this way.

The Australian Investments and Securities Commission has an information page on financial abuse, and Financial Counselling Australia offers free counselling to assist people in renegotiating loans and other financial commitments.

People who fear they are at risk of other types of abuse should deal with the issue safely Kutin advised, by contacting helpline 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) for guidance.

Have you been in an economically abusive relationship or know someone who has? How did you deal with it?