Co-operative Bank has once again partnered with national domestic abuse charity Refuge on a campaign to raise awareness of economic abuse and its often subtle warning signs in relationships.
The bank has placed around 100 physical red flags, mirrored on digital screens at Outernet London, to highlight the ‘red flags’ that can often go unrecognised in abusive relationships.
Each red flag features a quote from a domestic abuse survivor, illustrating how economic abuse can take shape. For example, one testimonial reads “He’d open new accounts in my name then make me responsible for paying bills” while another states “He set up our bank account so that he’ll get a notification if I spend more than like a fiver.”
Stickers featuring the same red flags were also placed on cash points, including one that reads, “I was completely reliance on him financially and everything really. He made sure of it.” Each sticker includes a QR code directing people to Refuge’s website for support.
The campaign was made in collaboration with BBDO, Pixel Artworks, Collective Studios and 2CV.
Co-operative Bank’s partnership with Refuge spans back over a decade, when the two bodies collaborated on the ‘My money, my life’ campaign in 2015, which reported the scale of financial abuse for the first time.
In 2018, the partnership resulted in the launch of an industry-wide Financial Abuse Code of Practice, designed to ensure survivors of economic abuse receive better and more consistent support across the banking and financial sector.
In 2020, Co-operative Bank teamed up with Refuge again to research the scale of economic abuse and how the coronavirus pandemic impacted its nature.