The report, “It’s always there, like a shadow behind you”: Women’s Experiences of Coerced Debt and Recovery in Scotland, provides recommendations for cross-sector reform.

Developed by Scottish Women’s Aid and commissioned by the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit and Trading Standards Scotland, the research constitutes the first dedicated qualitative study examining coerced debt as a form of domestic abuse in Scotland.

It reveals that victims are being trapped by abusers in long-term financial insecurity, often continuing after separation. Crucially, it reveals that responses across financial, public and institutional services frequently exacerbate the harm, with survivors encountering disbelief, victim-blaming and inflexible systems that fail to recognise the abuse underpinning the debt.

Coerced debt involves an abusive partner or ex-partner building up debt in the survivor’s name without consent or knowledge or through force, threat or coercion. The findings show this is not a marginal issue, but a widespread and systemic problem.

The research reveals that coerced debt is a common tactic of coercive control, with women reporting debts including credit cards, loans, rent and council tax arrears, utility bills and even debts linked to illegal money lending.

The report also highlights the role of illegal money lending in coerced debt. A small but significant number of survivors described being pushed towards loan sharks as a last resort, often to cover debts created through abuse or to meet basic needs. These lenders, who operate outside the law, frequently use intimidation, threats and extortionate interest rates, trapping survivors in further cycles of fear, control and escalating debt.

Key recommendations include:

• A sustained national public awareness campaign so women can recognise economic abuse and coerced debt and know where to get help.
• Provide practical, legal, and financial support to address coerced debt, including debt relief, credit repair, and flexible repayment options.
• Introduce mandatory training on economic abuse for banks, utility companies, councils, courts, police, and the judiciary.
• Recognise domestic and economic abuse within financial regulation, aligning protections with those used in mental health contextsand across justice agencies.

Dr Jenn Glinski, national policy lead for economic abuse at Scottish Women’s Aid and author of the report, said: “Coerced debt is trapping women and children in abuse across Scotland. This report makes clear that it is not a side issue, but a central part of how perpetrators exert control.

“What is most concerning is that our systems are too often complicit and compound financial harm instead of providing support and solutions. They hold survivors responsible for debts created through abuse while failing to hold perpetrators to account.

“Economic justice for survivors means believing women, preventing further harm and ensuring they are not left to carry the financial burden of abuse. The costs of inaction are simply too high.”