MALE victims of domestic abuse in Scotland are to be helped to control their finances without fear of repercussion.
The project is the result of a new partnership between Abused Men In Scotland (AMIS), Scotland’s leading charity and helpline for male domestic abuse, and the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS), a not-for-profit company providing the UK’s first central vulnerability database.
Abused men who have given permission will be registered onto the VRS database by AMIS on their behalf. Their names will then be highlighted safely and securely to credit and service providers through a “risk of coercion” flag applied by the VRS.
Organisations with access to the VRS database will then be able to turn down a request for a new loan, service or higher credit card limit if necessary. Crucially, the abusive partner will not be given any indication of why the service or credit has been turned down, ensuring further harm is not caused to the victims.
AMIS service manger Iris Quar said: “By taking away their partner’s ability to apply for credit in their name, it is the best, and probably the only way for victims of financial abuse to gain back some control, and this is so important for them.
“But they need help. They need a third party, like AMIS and VRS, to do this for them. Now, we can register them with the VRS and their case will be managed appropriately without them having do anything more, being approached by the organisations or being found out.”
Quar added: “Often these men have secure jobs and are considered financially sound. In reality, they are victims of financial abuse. The abusive partners have complete control over their money, so keeping track of all the credit and services that have been applied for in their names is impossible for them. The abusers also control their time and access to family, friends and places.
“This means the abused men simply do not have the ability to contact each and every provider with their story and they are scared of being found out. But on top of that, the organisations do not make it easy for them.
“The impact of the work by the VRS is incredibly valuable, and all organisations should be using the database – they have a duty to identify, support and safeguard people who are at risk.”
