by womensaidscot17 | Mar 16, 2026 | Uncategorised
This #DebtAwarenessWeek, the theme is debunking the shame and stigma around debt, and that conversation must include survivors of domestic abuse.
Too often, debt is framed as a personal failure or poor financial management. But in reality, many people experience debt because of circumstances beyond their control. For survivors, debt is not the result of a bad decision; it is the result of economic abuse.
“When you phone up the companies, they just say, ‘well, your name is on it, so you’re responsible for it’. Tomorrow he could leave the country and disappear and I’m going to be landed with all this debt”. (Survivor)
Across Scotland, survivors are living with coerced debt, where an abusive partner or ex-partner takes out credit in their name, pressures or forces them into loans, runs up bills they are left responsible for, or deliberately sabotages their finances. Others are left managing debt after years of economic restriction that prevented them from working, accessing their own money, or making independent financial decisions.
Coerced debt follows survivors long after the relationship has ended and directly impacts on them being able to rebuild their financial stability and their lives.
Too often, shame and stigma around debt mean that survivors feel unable to speak about what has happened to them. They may worry about being judged, blamed, or not believed. That stigma can stop people from seeking advice, challenging debts that were never truly theirs, or accessing the support that could help them rebuild their lives.
“You’re already feeling ashamed because of the domestic abuse. And then you’re feeling ashamed that you’ve gotten yourself in this mess because of all the debt and there’s so much shame” (Survivor)
At SWA we know that awareness of coerced debt is still far too low, including across systems that survivors often turn to for help.
This #DebtAwarenessWeek, we want to highlight that:
- Coerced debt is a form of economic abuse
- Coerced debt caused by abuse is not the survivor’s fault
- Greater awareness is essential, so survivors are recognised and supported
Debunking shame and stigma is not just about changing how we talk about debt. It is about ensuring professionals across sectors, including financial services, advice services, housing and public services, understand the realities of economic abuse and respond appropriately when survivors disclose coerced debt.
Women and children should not have to carry the burden of financial insecurity caused by abuse.
If you are worried that you may be experiencing economic abuse or coerced debt, please know that you are not alone and that support is available. You can contact Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline for confidential support, speak to your bank and ask to be connected with a specialist team or someone trained in domestic and financial abuse, or reach out to debt advice services across Scotland who can help you explore your options.
Experiencing debt is not something to feel ashamed of; the responsibility lies with the abuser, not with you.
By recognising coerced debt and challenging stigma, we can help create systems that believe survivors, understand economic abuse, and respond with the support women deserve.
Scottish Women’s Aid has authored a research report focusing on links between economic abuse, coerced debt, illegal money lending, and domestic abuse in Scotland, commissioned by the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit and Trading Standards Scotland. The report will launch in May 2026 and be shared on social media.
#DebtAwarenessWeek #EconomicAbuse #CoercedDebt #DomesticAbuse #EndTheStigma
by womensaidscot17 | Jan 19, 2026 | Uncategorised
January 2026 marks a significant milestone for Scottish Women’s Aid: ten years of managing Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline. A decade of being there, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for anyone affected by domestic abuse or forced marriage across Scotland.
Where we began?
While a national helpline existed before, Scottish Women’s Aid was first awarded the Scottish Government contract to deliver the service in 2015, and we developed a new helpline from the ground up. The national helpline moved from local delivery to its natural home, within the leading national domestic abuse organisation. Scottish Women’s Aid brought decades of expertise in women’s experiences of domestic abuse, and partnered with Respect to support men, so the helpline could serve anyone who needed it.
On 18 January 2016, we launched with a team of five, a phone line, and a commitment to meet a critical need. Our founding helpline team shaped the service together, some of them with a long history of experience in the Women’s Aid network, some new to it, and some with lived experience of domestic abuse.
In the first week, we received around ten calls. In the first year, a little over 3,000. Our initial website was simple, just a way for people to find our phone number. We were small, but dynamic and dedicated. Our initial work was to raise awareness.
How we’ve grown?
From around 3,000 contacts in our first year to more than 20,000 last year, every conversation mattered. The increase reflects growing awareness – more people recognising abuse, knowing we exist, and knowing it’s safe to contact us. Today, we’re a team of more than 30 staff, ready to listen and respond.
The helpline has evolved into a multi-channel service: phone, email, web chat, SMS, and WhatsApp. The helpline website www.sdafmh.org.uk has become a useful information resource in its own right. These developments have removed barriers, so people can reach us and get what they need in the way that works best for them.
The COVID-19 pandemic defined a large part of the last decade. It brought challenges, but also accelerated the helpline’s development. We transformed rapidly, from everyone working in one Edinburgh office, to remote and hybrid working with modern technology. Now, if something goes wrong with one building or area, the helpline keeps running.
This made us a truly national service – recruiting from across Scotland, not just Edinburgh and the surrounding area. We can attract excellent staff from all over the country and our diverse team brings a broader understanding of different experiences of domestic abuse and forced marriage, including in remote and rural communities.
The helpline is now established, but we’re always listening and learning. We’ve maintained Helplines Standard quality accreditation for the past seven years, and the quality of the service was recognised when we were named Helpline of the Year 2024, along with a Staff Wellbeing and Support Award.
Who we’ve been here for?
The people who’ve contacted us are as diverse as Scotland itself. People of all backgrounds, genders, and ages. Some are in crisis, needing immediate safety information. Others are ready to talk about past experiences. Some know exactly what they’re facing; others aren’t sure if what’s happening “counts”. We speak to people through confidential interpreters, Contact Scotland BSL, or text relay when needed. We hear from worried friends, family members, and professionals seeking guidance.
What stayed the same?
For anyone who needs us, our approach has remained the same since the beginning. It is safe to speak to us in confidence. We believe you. We will never tell you what to do, or judge you – we listen, provide emotional support and specialist information, and help you explore options at your own pace.
Comparing feedback from callers in our early days – handwritten comments on flipchart paper on the office wall – to today’s digital feedback survey responses, the themes remain consistent. People describe feeling heard, believed, and supported. They tell us it made a difference having somewhere to turn.
“It was a relief to be believed after years of abuse. Thank you for being there when I needed it most.” – Past helpline caller
As we mark this ten-year milestone, we celebrate our colleagues, past and present, who have made the helpline what it is today.
Scottish Women’s Aid exists to see a Scotland without domestic abuse. Until that day comes, we’ll be here on the helpline every time the phone rings, every time a message comes through – for as long as we’re needed.
If you or someone you know needs support, Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline is here 24/7. Phone 0800 027 1234, text or WhatsApp 07401 288 595, web chat www.sdafmh.org.uk, email helpline@sdafmh.org.uk.
by womensaidscot17 | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorised
Trigger Warning:
This poem contains references to domestic abuse, honour-based abuse, sexual violence, and coercive control. Please take care while reading and feel free to step away if you need to. Support is available from Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline and local Women’s Aid groups if any of the content impacts you.
The hidden truths of our society are soon to be revealed
Does this mean her emotional scars will ever be healed?
She was born into a culture where we do not question our deen
Real suffering in the homes are never seen
You don’t get raped by your husband they said
It’s your duty as a wife you made your bed
They said its haram to refuse
But does that mean she consented to be abused?
Everything feels like a chore
She cannot take no more
He beats her till she is swollen and sore
If she tells the kids she will get beaten even more
Fears losing her children and suffers in silence
Not showing sadness but radiance
Puts on her face
Carries on smiling feeling like a basket case
Each time she’s hurt he buys a bag or pair of shoes
She was given this life she didn’t choose
But what about people what will they say
Never get peace from their slander every day
Community only sees materialistic things
They cannot imagine all the pain it brings
She fears beginning a life alone
She’s never had a penny or assets of her own
There seemed no easy way out and no light
Consoling from her family was not so bright
They didn’t want to know, turned a blind eye
It’s not that bad they said, don’t cry
Another day another assault, she tries to leave
He warns her he will follow and find her, not to be naive
Felt like she was in prison waiting for release
Then he adds, I’ll make sure you never get peace
She fears the bad influence he has on her boys’ lives
Felt like daily walking on egg shells and dodging knives
He continued to cheat to make her insecure
Blaming her for his adultery, how much more could she endure?
He loves me, he loves me not
Her head hurts, is it a brain clot?
She feels she is going insane
Why insist on putting her through this pain
The woman in his family knew her abuse
But did nothing. No use
She plucks up courage to tell her dad
He appears to be on her side, she was really glad
She’s forced to return back home
So the children don’t feel alone
They are the best thing could’ve happened in her life
Maybe it was worth all the pain being his wife
Things go back to normality
She realises this is her reality
She reapplies makeup, to hides her bruises
He plays mind games. Hurting her when he chooses
Poorly girl doesn’t know what to do
No one to turn to
Brought shame to her family as a teenage pregnant bride
She smashed all their dreams now it’s hard to break their pride
Another incident
It was definitely no accident
So she leaves and goes to a women’s aid home, never looking back
Carrying all her life belongings in her car easy to unpack
Then he cites her back through a court order
Claims she’s unstable and has a mental disorder
He controls her through her children
No one can see here who’s the victim or the villain
On return to home her reputation is ruined
Her community group are so disillusioned
No woman deserves to endure this amount of pain
Time to make a stance and pursue a case
Showing no fear prepares for all that is left to face
by womensaidscot17 | Nov 10, 2025 | Uncategorised
Scottish Women’s Aid has launched a new pilot, funded by the Scottish Government, to embed specialist debt advisers within Women’s Aid services in Dundee and West Lothian.
The need for this type of support is pressing. More than half of women experiencing domestic abuse report financial difficulties as a result of economic and/or financial abuse in relationships.*
The average coerced debt for survivors in the United Kingdom arising from financial and economic abuse is estimated at over £3,000, with many owing money for loans or credit cards taken out under duress or without consent.* Debts relating to council tax, rent, and utilities often remain in the survivor’s name, even when they were accrued by the perpetrator.**
The pilot will be delivered in partnership with Dundee Women’s Aid and West Lothian Women’s Aid. Debt advisers will be based directly in Women’s Aid offices, spaces where women already feel safe, supported, and believed. Women based in Dundee and West Lothian with coerced debt as a result of economic and/or financial abuse can contact Dundee Women’s Aid and West Lothian Women’s Aid for specialist debt support.
Advisers sourced from Dundee City Council and West Lothian Council will offer confidential, trauma-informed debt advice to women referred by Dundee Women’s Aid and West Lothian Women’s Aid support staff. This will include addressing coerced public and private debt, negotiating with creditors, exploring statutory debt solutions and signposting to benefits advice and other services.
By embedding expert advice in trusted environments, the project removes many of the barriers women face when seeking help with debt and financial hardship and recognises the deep and lasting impact of economic abuse, including coerced debt.
As part of the pilot, Scottish Women’s Aid and its local partners will provide training for advisers on the dynamics of domestic abuse, gender-based violence, and the specific needs of women, children, and young people.
While this pilot focuses on providing immediate, specialist debt advice, Scottish Women’s Aid recognises that individual support alone cannot solve the wider systemic barriers survivors face. Many women continue to encounter institutions and financial systems that fail to recognise or respond appropriately to economic abuse. Alongside this pilot, Scottish Women’s Aid will continue to advocate for systemic change across creditors, government, and justice systems, so that survivors are not held responsible for debts that are, in reality, part of the abuse they have endured.
The pilot will run until March 2026, with a full evaluation planned to demonstrate the difference made by having an experienced debt adviser based within Women’s Aid services, thereby strengthening the case for longer-term, sustainable funding.
Women affected by economic and/or financial abuse who would like to access the pilot in the Dundee and West Lothian areas can contact Dundee Women’s Aid and West Lothian Women’s Aid directly.
Dundee Women’s Aid: phone 01382 207099 or email support@dundeewomensaid.co.uk
West Lothian Women’s Aid: email info@wlwa.org.uk
More information about Financial and Economic Abuse and Coerced Debt
- Economic abuse is one of the least talked about but most common forms of abuse. Abusers often control a woman’s access to money, sabotage her employment or studies, or build up debt in her name. Many survivors are left facing years of financial insecurity even after they leave their abuser.
- Financial abuse is a form of economic abuse where abusers can control money, take wages or benefits, block bank accounts, force women into debt and refuse to provide access to household finances.
- Coerced debt refers to debt accrued under duress or coercion by a perpetrator of domestic abuse, often without the survivor’s knowledge or consent.
- Debts as a result of economic and financial abuse can trap women in dangerous situations, with many forced to choose between staying with their abuser or facing poverty and destitution. For women rebuilding their lives, the ongoing lack of support and understanding by financial systems, such as debt collectors, joint arrears, or withheld maintenance, can be a continuation of economic abuse long after separation.
- Economic abuse is recognised within the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 as part of coercive and controlling behaviour.
References
by womensaidscot17 | Oct 27, 2025 | Uncategorised
The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 officially commenced five years ago.
The Act contains important provisions to improve children’s participation in decisions about them, to strengthen children’s rights throughout civil court processes, and to improve standards of professional practice.
These court processes make legal orders that can have a huge impact on children’s lives. They affect where they are going to live, who they will stay with and how their family will connect when they can’t all live together.
For years, children have continually told us how important it is for them to be heard. One young person, sharing their story in 2020 as part of the Improving Justice in Child Contact project, said of their interaction with a Child Welfare Reporter: “I felt ignored and I was worried I might not have any power over what happened to me.”[1] The young person was clear that “children and young people should get to speak to the people they think are best able to listen.”[2] Another young person in 2019 shared that “not that many children and young people have a say in their lives, because people think we are too young to know better.”[3]
In situations of domestic abuse, decisions on child contact are too often made without a full understanding of the abuse and its ongoing impacts on children and mothers. In these situations, child contact decision-making processes, and the contact itself, can constrain mothers’ ability to keep themselves and their children from further harm and trauma. Poor decision-making represents a significant danger to women and children.
The 2020 Act is designed to improve decision-making processes. Organisations like ours, along with children and families, worked hard to campaign for changes to ensure children’s voices are heard.
Five years on, many of the Act’s core promises remain unfulfilled. This is not just a technical issue. The failure to make the changes that were legislated for has real, harmful consequences for children and families across Scotland every single day. Children’s voices are going unheard, and their needs disregarded. This continued inaction undermines trust and fails the very children the legislation was designed to protect.
We are still waiting for action on key elements:
- Child Welfare Reporters (CWRs) remain unregulated, and the planned register of CWRs has not commenced. Without consistent standards, reports lack quality and consistency, fail to represent children’s views and risk minimising abuse and recommending unsafe contact arrangements.
- As part of its aim to align with the UNCRC, the Act includes a duty to provide advocacy services. This has not commenced, meaning children’s voices regularly continue to go unheard, and children’s rights cannot be fully realised.
As well as this, though secondary legislation has been drafted, child contact centres remain unregulated. This leaves uneven safeguards in places where victim-survivors and children may be forced into contact with perpetrators – spaces that can retraumatise and endanger families. The potential for the system to put women and children at greater risk can also affect women’s willingness and ability to seek help in situations of domestic abuse.
Failures to implement legislation create a breach of public trust in parliamentary process. By passing the Act, Scottish Government made a promise to protect women and children by improving how the system worked for them, and reducing harm and trauma. This promise has not been kept.
The broader implementation gap
The failure to implement the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 is a symptom of the wider problem of the implementation gap across Scottish legislation. Many pieces of legislation are in a similar situation.
This means that organisations like ours, along with children and families, can no longer feel assured that the passage of legislation will translate to tangible change on the ground. The gap between policy and practice, between conversations in Parliament and families’ reality, continues to grow. As we outlined in our joint letter in November 2024, this also affects our belief in the power of future legislative change.
The next Parliament will need to tackle this urgently to rebuild public trust in parliamentary process.
What needs to happen
We want to see:
Accountability and monitoring
- Thorough parliamentary scrutiny and awareness of existing legislation. A transparent and publicly accessible process for monitoring the implementation of legislation after it has been passed.
Resource allocation
- Clear and transparent commitments of budget and civil service capacity to resource existing legislation within necessary timeframes.
A refreshed approach to legislating
- A commitment from the next government to undertake an audit of unimplemented legislation, tackle the backlog, and take steps to prevent this happening in the future. This must include a better process for allocating resource and timeframes to policy proposals.
The failure to implement key provisions means that the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Act is a cause for concern rather than celebration. Children and families cannot wait any longer for progress. They have trusted Scottish Parliament to make improvements to their lives: Parliament must now commit to keeping its promises, and to earning this trust back.
See our letter to the Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.
References
[1] I don’t want other children to go through what I went through – Improving Justice in Child Contact
[2] I don’t want other children to go through what I went through – Improving Justice in Child Contact
[3] My experience of being part of Yello! – view from a young expert – Improving Justice in Child Contact
by womensaidscot17 | Jun 16, 2025 | Uncategorised
This guest post by West Lothian Women’s Aid (WLWA) explains what happens when a woman gets in touch looking for support. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you can find your local Women’s Aid, here: https://womensaid.scot/find-nearest-wa-group/
Living day by day with the threat and presence of domestic abuse, can make even the smallest of tasks seem impossible. We understand the challenges that come with seeking support of any kind whilst in an abusive situation. Simply picking up the phone can feel daunting, even paralysing. Browsing the internet for potential support can bring with it confusion, overwhelm and its own safety risks.
Once you have found a support that you think could help, this can raise lots of feelings such as fear, apprehension, numbness or even doubting yourself. You may feel worried about sharing your experiences, think you will be judged, or simply struggle to find the right words to express your trauma. It can be an incredibly difficult first step for so many but could be one which has the ability to place you on a path towards a future free from abuse and fear.
Women’s Aid groups all over Scotland exist to offer guidance, understanding, and a safe, nurturing space where you can begin to rebuild and focus on your future.
West Lothian Women’s Aid can be contacted by phone, email, on social media, on our website or in-person. We can ensure when you take that first step to reach out, you will be met with kindness and reassurance. Our staff are here to listen without pressure or judgement. You don’t need to have a clear plan or even know what you want at this point. It is our job to provide guidance and options as to what you could do next which is in the best interests of you – we are here to listen and support you make decisions based around your safety, immediate and longer-term needs and current situation.
When contacting WLWA, your safety is our priority. We are here to provide free and confidential support, an empathetic ear, and real-world, practical advice. Our staff are trained to assess your immediate risk and take subsequent actions to ensure you are guided towards a robust safety plan, always working collaboratively with yourself. Our staff won’t dismiss your feelings or judge you for whatever you choose to do, to stay safe; you’ll be listened to with empathy, from women who understand the impact of domestic abuse and have the knowledge to guide you on possible next steps. Our trauma-informed approach ensures we will not pressure you into taking any specific action; every woman’s situation is different, and our support is tailored to your needs.
We understand that while a listening ear is vital in allowing women to be open about their experiences, we also ensure we offer practical assistance to assist each woman to move forward. This might include court advocacy, information on housing options, consider a place within our safe accommodation, signposting to benefits advice or financial assistance, or access to our wide array of support services such as group work, counselling or our children and young people’s service.
If you are at the point of considering leaving an abusive situation, we can ensure we work with you to plan this as safely as possible. Whatever your needs, we are here to offer care, empathy, strength and resilience along with all the resources you may need to help you regain control of your life. Reaching out for support is difficult, but incredibly brave and no matter how uncertain or afraid you may be to take that vital first step, we will meet you with kindness and compassion always.
We are here for you.
We believe you.
