Shortcomings in the Government’s efforts to tackle economic abuse
The central government has neglected efforts to tackle domestic economic abuse. Consequently, protection against economic violence – and support for victims – is inadequate, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit.
Economic abuse can lead to long-term financial problems, ill health and make it more difficult for victims to leave a violent partner. When Sweden ratified the Istanbul Convention on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence in 2014, a commitment was made to combating economic violence. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows significant shortcomings in the Government’s efforts to tackle economic violence.
“Neither the Government nor the responsible government agencies have taken sufficient measures to tackle domestic economic abuse. Central government efforts need to improve,” says Deputy Auditor General Claudia Gardberg Morner.
A fundamental problem is that the Government has not paid enough attention to economic violence. For example, there is no mention of economic violence in the national strategy to prevent and combat men’s violence against women. This has made it unclear whether economic abuse should be included in government agencies’ efforts to tackle men’s violence against women and domestic violence. Neither has the Government followed up on which government agencies are tackling economic abuse.
“Numerous government agencies have started some form of work to tackle economic abuse, but this is in the early stages and employees generally have insufficient knowledge. This makes it more difficult to detect economic abuse in contacts with citizens and to take effective measures,” says Ludvig Stendahl, project leader for the audit.
Furthermore, the Government has not taken economic violence into account in the legislative process in numerous high-risk areas. In some cases, the law even facilitates the perpetration of economic abuse. For example, it is easy to take control of an intimate partner’s finances using eID, and to continue to perpetrate economic abuse after a relationship has ended, in a division of property or by mismanaging common child maintenance payments.
There are also instances whereby perpetrators exploit government agency procedures to prevent payouts of grants and benefits, or sabotage the victim’s livelihood, involuntarily involving government agencies in economic abuse through their case management. However, the lack of follow-up implies a lack of knowledge about the extent of the problem.
The audit also shows that there are shortcomings and aggravating circumstances in the judicial system’s efforts to tackle economic abuse. For example, the Swedish Policy Authority lacks sufficient knowledge and rarely investigates economic abuse as a form of domestic violence. The work is impeded by the fact that it is sometimes unclear which acts constitute economic abuse.
Recommendations in brief
The Swedish National Audit Office’s recommendations to the Government include the following:
- Identify the need for, and propose, legislative measures and other measures to tackle economic abuse and mitigate its impact on victims
- Instruct an appropriate government agency to identify how perpetrators have the means to exploit government agencies to perpetrate domestic economic abuse
- Ensure that economic violence is taken into account in legislative processes
- Include economic violence in the national strategy on combating men’s violence against women and clarify which government agencies should engage in efforts to tackle economic abuse, and in what way.
The Swedish National Audit Office also makes recommendations to the responsible agencies. See the report for the full recommendations.
Domestic economic abuse
Economic abuse means taking power over another person’s finances, or exploiting and destroying their assets. Examples of such actions include taking someone’s money, putting someone in debt by taking out loans in their name, or limiting opportunities for education, work and livelihood. More than one in eight women in Sweden has been subjected to economic abuse by a partner. Economic violence interacts strongly with physical violence; at least three in four women who have sought support for physical domestic violence have been subjected to economic violence.