Report finds digital financial products used to abuse nearly 700,000 young UK women

Summary

A report by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse finds almost one in five UK women and girls aged 16-24, nearly 700,000, have had digital financial products used against them by a partner.
Research for the report 'Access Denied, Futures Derailed' included a nationally representative survey of young women and teenage girls carried out with Ipsos UK.
The report finds abusers exploit banking apps, online payments and digital credit to control young women, prevent them from leaving relationships, and cause debt.
One in three young women experience economic abuse, with rates highest among disabled young women and those caring for children.
More than 40% of those who experienced the abuse reported financial difficulty, half reported harm to their mental health, and more than a third said it stopped them leaving.
The UK government has promised a financial education curriculum and says it works with the banking sector through its 'Enough' campaign.

Survivor Becky, whose name was changed, says she was coerced into more than £40,000 of debt and urges education about economic abuse in schools and stronger bank protections.
Surviving Economic Abuse chief executive Sam Smethers says digital financial products could be 'weapons of abuse' and urges financial firms to design out abuse.
Experts and survivors call on ministers to use the promised financial education curriculum to teach young people about economic abuse.
Safeguarding minister Satvir Kaur says the report shines an important light on a type of abuse that too often goes unrecognised.
Sam Smethers forecasts that without action hundreds of thousands of young women risk paying the price.
Satvir Kaur says the government has set the ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

Digital finance products used to abuse almost 20% of young women and girls, UK report findstheguardian.com· 1h
A Guardian article reports on Surviving Economic Abuse's study 'Access Denied, Futures Derailed', which finds almost one in five UK women and girls aged 16-24 — nearly 700,000 — have had digital financial products such as banking apps and buy now, pay later credit used against them by a partner, leaving many in debt or unable to leave. Survivor Becky, whose name was changed, describes being coerced into over £40,000 of debt, and survivors and experts urge ministers to teach about economic abuse in schools and banks to build in protections.