Spotlight on economic abuse - Good Shepherd Youth & Family ...

Economic Abuse
This section is concerned with the nature of economic abuse and the ways in which it has
been understood and described. First, it identifies economic abuse as a form of domestic
and family violence and draws on the research literature to describe the types of behaviours
that can constitute economic abuse. Second, it considers other forms of violence and
exploitation which may overlap with economic abuse. Finally it explores what is known from
the research literature about the prevalence of economic abuse.
Describing economic abuse
Economic abuse—also referred to as economic violence, economic control, economic
deprivation, financial abuse and financial control—is a form of domestic and family violence,
involving behaviours that negatively affect a person financially and undermine that person’s
efforts to become economically independent (Weaver et al. 2009). While economic abuse
may be recognised and understood by those affected by domestic violence and by people
who work with them (Brookes 2006) it is has only recently become a focus for research in
Australia, with early work including reports by Branigan (2004) and by Green and Pearce
(2002, cited by Brookes 2006). Economic abuse has also only recently been included as a
form of domestic and family violence in some, but not all, Australian family violence laws
(ALRC/NSWLRC 2010).
In Victoria, Domestic Violence Victoria (DV Vic), the peak body representing domestic and
family violence services, provides the following definition of family violence:
Family Violence is the repeated use of violent, threatening, coercive or
controlling behaviour by an individual against a family member(s), or someone
with whom they have, or have had an intimate relationship including carers.
Violent behaviour includes not only physical assaults but an array of power
and control tactics used along a continuum in concert with one another,
including direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological
torment, economic control, property damage, social isolation and behaviour
which causes a person to live in fear.
Currently only certain behaviours and actions defined as family violence are
criminal offences, any behaviour that constitutes family violence is
unacceptable.
Family violence can occur within any family relationship, including same sex
relationships. It affects transgender people, the elderly and people with
disabilities. While it can be perpetuated by any member of a family against
another, it is more likely to be perpetrated by men (predominately by a
woman’s current or ex-partner) against women and children.
The Victorian Indigenous Family Violence Taskforce has defined family
violence as: ‘An issue focused around a wide range of physical, emotional,
sexual, social, spiritual, cultural, psychological and economic abuses that
occur within families, intimate relationships, extended families, kinship
networks and communities. It extends to one on one fighting, abuse of
Indigenous community workers, as well as self harm, injury and suicide.’ (DV
Vic 2011, accessed 24 June 2012)
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