Why is this research important?

The Independent Sentencing Review published in May 2025 recognised the  importance of economic justice for victim-survivors of domestic abuse. The review  directly engaged with the Seen Yet Sidelined report finding that compensation  orders were made in just 2 per cent of economic abuse cases and expressed  support for the report recommendation that ‘compensation should be routinely  considered in sentencing for the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Offence’.    ‘

"The Review encourages further consideration of how victims, who are eligible  and wish to be compensated, could be offered compensation. Further work  should be undertaken to understand the current barriers to compensation and  how these can be mitigated." 

In October 2025 the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC) for England and Wales  published a report into domestic abuse and the family courts. It recommended a review of financial remedy cases on the basis that economic abuse is currently not  sufficiently considered. This is important since Seen Yet Sidelined uncovered an assumption within the criminal courts that the financial  affairs of victim-survivors of economic abuse will be resolved in the family courts  following criminal proceedings. 

The Westminster Government published Freedom From Violence and Abuse: A  Cross-Government Strategy to Build a Safe Society for Women and Girls in  December 2025. The strategy recognises that financial insecurity should never force  a victim-survivor to return to an abuser and commits to work across the public and  private sectors to prevent economic abuse and support survivors to regain financial  independence. 

The action plan published alongside Freedom From Violence and Abuse responds to a recommendation in Seen Yet Sidelined to restore survivors' credit scores through setting out work to 'ensure coerced debt is  addressed on victim-survivors’ credit files'. This draws on the commitment outlined  in the Treasury’s Financial Inclusion Strategy (published in November 2025) for the  largest Credit Reference Agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), lenders,  trade associations, and the third sector to develop an approach that supports credit  restoration for those affected by economic abuse.