Addressing Economic and Tech Abuse

Client: Refuge

Refuge is the country’s largest provider of specialist services for women experiencing domestic abuse and gender-based violence, and their children. The charity supports thousands of women and children on any given day.

It is well documented that the pandemic led to an increase in domestic abuse around the world. The cost-of-living crisis has continued to exacerbate this and led to an increasing number of people experiencing economic abuse. In a recent study by Refuge, 73% of frontline workers surveyed said that the cost-of-living crisis is increasing barriers to leaving a perpetrator. 92% said it is pushing survivors further into debt.

This challenging environment has led to increased pressures on the services offered by Refuge. Since Summer 2020, Barclays has partnered with Refuge to provide financial support and to offer the expertise of teams across the bank. This has enabled Refuge to not only respond to this increased demand for their services, but also start new projects.

In 2022, the partnership pivoted to focus on economic abuse, connecting Barclays’ vulnerable customer team directly to experts at the charity to support survivors. Working together has been a true collaboration, with impactful outcomes achieved for Refuge clients, Barclays customers, colleagues and wider society.