Financial systems are not neutral, they are embedded in broader social and gendered contexts and are shaped by them.

Being gender-inclusive in financial tech (fintech) design inherently requires a trauma-informed lens. Fintech tools are often designed from a gender-neutral perspective, which assumes all users have similar needs, risks, and relationships to money. This approach overlooks how financial control and coercion are gendered.

This factsheet outlines the principles of the trauma-informed approach, their definitions and examples of their application to financial technologies.

This brief present three key principles to guide the development of effective responses to technology-facilitated financial abuse in the context of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Identified through literature from Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and grounded in consultations with survivors.

Service providers are incorporating these principles when designing solutions and practices to better support survivors, reduce harm, and prevent the misuse of financial technology. The brief outlines case studies of emerging, innovative practices that reflect these principles, aiming to enhance survivor safety, promote trauma-informed interventions, and raise awareness of this growing form of abuse.

The term innovative practices is used intentionally rather than “promising” or “best practices,” as these initiatives are still relatively new and require further evaluation to fully understand their effectiveness and long-term impact.

This brief offers a summary of some of the key challenges East Asian women face in Canada, including racism, gendered violence, and economic exclusion. These challenges were specifically targeted at people associated with the diverse cultures of China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, which are often called East Asia.

While this brief focuses on ongoing barriers, it also honours the powerful ways East Asian women have resisted, redefined, and reclaimed their place in Canadian society. 

We recognize that East Asian women in Canada are leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, and caregivers. Many are business owners and community advocates, creating support networks and spaces of care for others. They carry forward rich cultural traditions and strong family and community values, despite a long history of discrimination aimed at erasing or devaluing these contributions. 

This Asian Heritage Month, we release our latest issue brief with heavy hearts, following the devastating tragedy that occurred on April 27, 2025, during the Lapu Lapu Festival Day in Vancouver, BC. What should have been a joyful celebration of Filipino heritage and resistance was tainted by a horrific attack that took the lives of 11 people and injured many more. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and the entire Southeast Asian community affected that are grieving.

In the wake of this grief, we remain committed to honouring the lives, stories, and contributions of Southeast Asian women in Canada. Southeast Asia is a vast and diverse region encompassing Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This brief is just a starting point in exploring the complex realities faced by women from these communities shaped by histories of colonization, displacement, and resilience.

Through this work, we uplift the voices and experiences of Southeast Asian women as leaders, artists, caregivers, and advocates, and we honour their enduring strength. In this issue, you’ll find Grace’s powerful story of migration and resistance, alongside many others who continue to shape and sustain vibrant communities in Canada.

Economic and financial abuse impacts every part of a survivor’s life, causing stress, anxiety, depression, and a loss of self-esteem. It often leads to poverty, housing instability, and limited career opportunities. The social impacts can include feeling isolated and becoming financially dependent on their partner/spouse. Legal and financial consequences include coerced debt and legal vulnerabilities.

This visual report outlines the social impacts of financial and economic abuse, and real-life examples of survivor experiences.

While research on financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence remains limited, financial abuse is commonly used to exert power and control over women, often occurring alongside other types of abuse. This form of abuse is impactful because it strips individuals of financial freedom and independence, with lasting effects such as damaged credit and housing instability. 

This visual report explores what constitutes financial and economic abuse, real-life examples, and practical steps to protect your financial well-being. 

Economic abuse affects many women and gender-diverse individuals in Canada, with rates as high as 1 in 3 women experiencing it from intimate partners. ​

The Economic Abuse Project: Providing a model of improved support for survivors of domestic violence (EASE), is a collaboration between credit specialists, anti-violence organizations, and financial institutions to address the impacts of economic and financial abuse on survivors of domestic violence. It involves support for survivors to rebuild credit and develop financial literacy, brings professionals together to collaborate for financial system change and build the capacity of professionals to recognize and respond to economic abuse. ​

​The project is an adaptation of the UK-developed Domestic Economic Abuse Project (DEAP). The project improved outcomes for victims/survivors of domestic and economic abuse, enhanced understanding of economic abuse and identified areas for system change among the financial sector and other community agencies.

Publications

Trauma-informed principles in banking technology design

Innovative Practices for Identifying and Responding to Tech-Facilitated Financial Abuse

Financial Safety Planning – Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Economic and Financial Abuse – Key Terms

EASE Design Challenge

_{This project has been funded through Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program}

The Safe and Stable Housing through Intentional Partnership (SSHIP) project aims to develop a comprehensive governance model and research process for collecting trauma-informed longitudinal housing data for diverse survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Through collaboration with community partners and pilot studies at key women’s shelters, SSHIP will innovate and test effective methods for understanding and addressing housing instability. The project’s ultimate goal is to scale these models and protocols, providing sustainable housing solutions and enhancing support for IPV survivors across Canada.

Safe and Stable Housing through Intentional Partnership (SSHIP) is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

As women age, they are more likely to be living in poverty than men. This disparity is due to several factors, including the gender wage gap and women being more likely to experience career disruptions, such as caring for loved ones. These factors contribute to a lack of personal income and savings available to women over the age of 55 and older. Older women may experience additional barriers to economic security in later life due to their experiences of gender-based violence, including economic abuse and employment sabotage.   

This project will raise awareness of the financial and social needs of women over the age of 55. Through collaboration with key stakeholders, including older women with lived experience and community agencies, the project will develop and deliver education and capacity building to improve awareness of family violence and intimate partner violence among different populations of older women. 

Publications

Infographic: Violence Against Older Women

Infographic: Violence Against Older Women Risk Factors and Barriers

Infographic: Promising Practices for Agencies to Engage Older Women

_{This project has been funded by}