More than two-thirds of survivors of domestic abuse have reported their partners withheld money from them as a key method of controlling and mistreating them, according to the Women’s Aid report, The Economics of Abuse.

“Fear of the financial implications kept me in the relationship for much longer than I would have if I had been financially independent,” one survivor told researchers.

Another said: “I had to live on thin air when I left with my child. This caused much stress and I don’t think I have ever recovered.”

Nearly half the women said they did not have enough money to pay for basic essentials such as food and bills while they were with their abusive partner. More than two in five women were in debt as a result of the economic abuse, while a third of women had to give up their home either as a result of experiencing economic abuse or leaving their abusive partner.

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