Woman who fled economic abuse with Wiltshire charity help shares story
A survey has found one in seven women have experienced economic abuse in the last 12 months
A woman who escaped economic abuse with the help of a Wiltshire charity is sharing her story.
The woman, who we're calling Isobel to protect her identity, went to FearFree as her ex-partner was controlling her money.
It comes as a survey by charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) found around one in seven women have experienced another person having control over their money in the last 12 months.
Two-fifths (42%) did not speak to anyone, such as a family member or friend, about what they were going through, according to the SEA report.
Economic abuse is a dangerous and prevalent form of domestic abuse that takes many forms - including a current or ex-partner restricting access to money or bank accounts, damaging property or possessions, taking out loans or building up debt in a victim-survivor's name, SEA said.
In her story, Isobel tells us that she thought she had met "the one", when she met her ex-partner.
"It happened so fast, he told me he loved me and he wanted to spend all his time with me. Looking back, I can see this was love bombing but at the time I thought this is how love should be," she said.
At the time, Isobel had a good job, with the option to do extra hours, which she often did in order to help pay bills and ensure she wasn't short of cash.
But her ex-partner began telling her not to do the extra hours, claiming he wanted to spend time together.
"Eventually he wore me down, making me feel guilty and I stopped doing the extra work," Isobel said.
'I was left exhausted, I wanted to leave'
However, money became tight for Isobel, but her ex-partner told her not to worry, saying he would pay her bills and that she could pay him back bit by bit.
"But once the bills were paid, everything changed. He forced me to get an evening job, closer to home where he could keep an eye on me, but this job was badly paid and he took all my wages from me," Isobel told us.
It left her exhausted, as she went from one job to another, all while he kept telling her that she needed to pay him back.
She said: "I wanted to leave, I told him I would continue to pay him back, I could do this faster if I could return to my old job. When I left, he continued to harass me, using the loan as a way to contact me and threaten me."
Wiltshire's Domestic Abuse charity, FearFree said: "Sadly, some form of economic abuse is present in the majority of abusive relationships, and we see every day how its impact strips people of their freedom and independence.
"If you are a victim of financial abuse, it can feel overwhelming to rebuild your life. But we are here to support you with practical advice and guidance to help you take back control of your life."
Anyone experiencing economic abuse, or knows someone who is, can contact FearFree for support.