A Cashless Society Puts Lives at Risk
Oct 14, 2024
‘The move towards a cashless society is putting lives at risk,’ says UK domestic violence support charity Refuge. Financial control is a key enabler for abusers maintaining power over victims, with cash offering a lifeline to anyone who needs to save and spend without leaving a digital trail.
Writing for iNews, Deputy Money Editor Callum Mason says ‘there can be serious and unintended consequences from businesses that only offer a cashless service’. Among them is the exclusion of anyone lacking access to a bank account—such has many unhoused people—and victims of domestic abuse, who often depend on secret cash savings to make an escape.
The move towards a cashless society is putting lives at risk. Economic abuse plays a huge part in a perpetrator’s ability to control and monitor their partner, so the shift away from cash towards digital-first banking enables perpetrators to monitor the spending of their partners more closely.
Relationship coach Marilyn Devonish says this is a ‘massively ignored’ downside of the push for a cashless society. She cites the example of being in a night club and having her cash rejected when she tried to buy a drink. She has used cash ‘whenever she can’ for over 20 years ‘after realising many clients who were in or looking to escape abusive relationships needed access to funds.’ She gives the example of a client ‘who had saved up to escape her husband, but used a cheque at a coffee shop, which allowed him to find her.’
At that club, had I been trying to have a secret night out with friends I could have been scuppered and even hauled out of there, because within minutes it appeared on my statement telling you exactly where I was. I’ve heard so many stories with regards to this.
Cash offers the chance of freedom for people trapped in abusive relationships, explains Heidi Riedel, CEO of mental health charity Woman’s Trust. It can be hidden away and saved with no digital record, then spent without the need for a bank account or the creation of a digital trail abusers can follow.
More and more women are being impacted by economic abuse. It can be extremely difficult for women to leave a domestically abusive relationship for fear of their safety and how they will survive. Cash is easier for women in these situations to access and allows them the freedom to buy the things that they need.
Ensuring cash remains accessible and usable is an easy way to support victims, as well as making payments more widely accessible to other demographics, including the very young and very old, and people with disabilities. Refuge is among the charities calling for greater legal protections to keep cash available.
Time and again we have heard from many women that they don’t even have access to their own bank accounts, making cash even more vital. Refuge has long campaigned for the government to bring forward legislation that would make accessing cash easier for survivors.