Study Notes on Coercive Control and Domestic Violence

Prevalence of Abuse
- 23% (2.3 million) of women have experienced emotional abuse by a current or previous partner.
- 14% (1.3 million) of men have experienced emotional abuse by a current or previous partner.
- 16% (1.6 million) of women have experienced economic abuse from a current or previous partner.
- 7.8% (745,000) of men have experienced economic abuse from a current or previous partner.
Growing Awareness of Coercive Control
- The work of survivor-advocates and researchers has increased public awareness regarding coercive control in family and intimate partner relationships.
- Historically, family and domestic violence (FDV) was understood to include mainly physical and sexual violence, focusing on episodic acts.
- Coercive control encompasses a broader range of behaviors, including emotional abuse, harassment, stalking, and controlling behaviors.
- Coercive control has become a foundational aspect of FDV and is recognized in legal definitions.
- The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 identifies coercive control as a key area for addressing gender-based violence in Australia.
- A critical information gap exists due to limited national reporting on coercive control.

Definition:
- Coercive control is characterized as a pattern of controlling behavior employed by a perpetrator to establish and maintain control over another person.
- It is primarily an underlying dynamic of FDV and intimate partner violence (IPV).
Effects on Victims:
- Victims are deprived of liberty, autonomy, and agency.
- Expert Definition by Sanda Weaver: "It’s a pattern of behaviour by an abuser to control their partner/family member and create an uneven power dynamic in the abuser’s favour."
Experiences of Coercive Control:
- Victims report experiences such as isolation from family and friends, gaslighting, financial control, and threats of violence.
- Emotional harm and escalation to actual violence are common outcomes.
- Victims often describe initial charm that devolves into manipulation and control over time.

Types of Abusive Behaviors:
- Coercive control is not defined by specific incidents; rather, it includes various behaviors used to exert dominance.
- Physical and/or sexual violence is not necessary for coercive control to exist and be harmful.
- Technology-Facilitated Abuse (TFA):
- Involves stalking, surveillance, tracking, and harassment via technology.
- Perpetrators misuse devices and platforms to control and abuse victims.
Misunderstandings About Coercive Control:
- Society often minimizes coercive control's seriousness due to the absence of visible injuries.
- Research highlights that psychological harm from such control is more challenging and prolonged to recover from compared to physical violence.

Complexity in Measuring Prevalence:
- The subtle and ongoing nature of coercive control makes it hard to measure its prevalence accurately.
- Research indicates it primarily affects women, perpetrated by men.
- Data sources for coercive control in Australia are limited and exist as incident-based surveys, which do not capture ongoing behaviors.
Key Survey Findings from 2021-22:
- Emotional and economic abuse prevalence rates indicate the impact of non-physical abuse:
- Women are more likely to experience these forms of abuse than men.
- Of the respondents aged over 18:
- 21% experienced violence, emotional abuse, or economic abuse by a partner since age 15.
- Different levels of exposure to various forms of abuse noted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with financial abuse being particularly prevalent.

Support Services and Risk Assessments:
- Specialized victim-survivor services use screening tools to assess risk and identify coercive control in their assessments.
- National Risk Assessment Principles stress the inclusion of coercive control in evaluating domestic violence risk.
- Data gap exists in understanding coercive control in mainstream health services due to inadequate identification processes.
Criminalization of Coercive Control:
- Discussions are ongoing about introducing specific offense laws for coercive control, with New South Wales being the first state to implement such a law.
- Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of criminal justice against coercive control, highlighting the need for continuous evaluation.
- National Principles to Address Coercive Control:
- Developed by Australian Government in collaboration with states/territories to improve understanding of coercive control's impact.
- Focus on shared understanding, intersectionality, and integrating lived experiences in operational frameworks.

Diminished Liberty:
- Coercive control erodes one's autonomy, leading to profound impacts on self-worth, security, and emotional health.
Homicide Risks:
- Coercive control is linked to potential homicide risks, with a notable history of abuse in many homicide cases.
- Between July 2010 and June 2018, 311 IPV homicides in Australia, with 77% involving male offenders killing female partners, often characterized by a history of control and emotional abuse.

No two experiences of coercive control are the same; varying impacts are observed across different population groups, emphasizing the need for specific research and data collection.
Engagement with lived experiences is crucial for enhancing understanding and addressing information gaps in policy and support systems.

Domestic and family violence is described as systematic patterns of abusive behaviors that disproportionately affect women and are primarily perpetuated by men in intimate relationships
Acknowledges the multifaceted nature of coercive control as a representation of oppression experienced by women and recognizes the harmful tactics utilized by abusers over time.
Domestic and family violence can be fatal, with high statistics highlighting the correlation between abusive dynamics and homicide outcomes across Australia.