Half of domestic violence victims also face economic violence

Nearly half of women who experience domestic violence are also economically oppressed by their partner, researchers at Radboudumc found. They face economic violence, such as their partner forbidding them from working or taking their wages, Trouw reports.

The researchers looked at the experiences of over 200 women who contacted SAFE, a platform that provides information and assistance to domestic violence victims. Of that group, 43 percent said that they had experienced economic violence.  

More attention is needed for victims of this underexposed form of domestic violence, researcher Nicole van Gelder said to Trouw. "Economic violence is a relatively new and unfamiliar term. Women may not realize they are victims." It is therefore likely that there are more victims than the study shows, she said. 

Economic violence can take many forms, from sabotaging studies to making debts in the victim's name. It can be very subtle, Van Gelder said. "Control and manipulation play a major role in economic violence."