Shocking new research has revealed the devastating scale of economic abuse on children across the United Kingdom, with perpetrators stealing pocket money and birthday cash from their own offspring.
The Scale of the Crisis
Charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) found that almost 4 million children in the UK are suffering the impact of economic abuse within their families. Their data shows that over the past year, 27% of mothers with children under 18 experienced behaviour classed as economic abuse, where a current or former partner exerts control over the family's finances.
This form of coercive control uses money as a weapon, with abusers employing various tactics to dominate and harm. The research indicates mothers are three times more likely to be victims of this abuse compared to women without children.
How Perpetrators Target Families
The methods used by abusers are both calculated and cruel, directly harming children's wellbeing. A third of women who suffered economic abuse from an ex-partner reported that he refused to pay child support, or paid it unreliably, despite having the means to do so.
Perhaps most shockingly, one in six women said a current or former partner had stolen money directly from their child, such as birthday or pocket money. The same proportion said their partner had stopped or tried to stop them from accessing benefits they were entitled to, including child benefit.
Other common tactics include:
- Stopping mothers from accessing joint bank accounts.
- Withholding funds for children's essentials.
- Manipulating systems like child maintenance to inflict harm.
One mother, quoted by the charity, recounted: “My ex would stop maintenance payments right before Christmas.” The consequences are severe, with many children missing out on basics like adequate clothing and food.
Calls for Government Action
Sam Smethers, chief executive of SEA, condemned the findings. “Economic abuse is a dangerous form of coercive control and children are being harmed by it every day,” she said. “Our research shows that perpetrators are stealing children’s pocket money, stopping mums accessing child benefit, and refusing to pay child support.”
The charity is issuing an urgent call to the government. They demand the publication of the long-awaited Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, with tackling economic abuse made a priority. A key part of this must be closing legal loopholes that allow abusers to manipulate systems designed to support families.
Smethers emphasised the need for greater awareness: “When thinking about child abuse … people often think about physical harm and threat. But there are other forms of coercive control, and we do need to shine a light on it as that’s how you understand abuse.”
In response, Jess Phillips, the government’s minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, stated: “Tackling economic abuse will be integral to achieving our goal of halving violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will continue to ensure children and young people are at the heart of this ambition.”
This landmark study marks the first time SEA has formally researched the specific impact of economic abuse on young people, highlighting a hidden crisis affecting millions of children's lives across the nation.
