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Coercive control is now a crime in NSW, a powerful shift in narrative from single incidents of abuse to the establishment of patterns of abusive behaviours which, cumulatively, rob victim-survivors of their autonomy and independence. Also known as “intimate terrorism”, coercive control is a significant predictor of intimate partner homicide.

This is great news for CSA survivors who can be vulnerable to coercive control due to the grooming process in their formative years and the impact of CSA on their relationships.

Huge kudos to those who worked hard to get this legislation over the line to address the escalation of gendered violence. So far this year, 47 women have been killed by current or former partners, a 31% increase from last year 🙏🏻

(Duluth model of domestic abuse from Domestic Abuse Intervention Program 2017.)

Pictured at an event last July at Addi Road to promote “No Laughing Matter” podcast which raises awareness of incest by pairing survivors with well-known personalities to narrate their stories.

From left to right, the panel consisted of Dr. Catharine Lumby, Stepping Out CEO Melissa Holmes, the podcast’s creator Tanya Lee and moderator Sam Mostyn, our new Governor General!

Sam is an outstanding choice for this prestigious appointment – an exemplary woman whose dazzling career has been spent fighting the good fight by championing human rights and gender equality in business, sport and commerce.

Kudos!

Stepping Out is running programs for adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Groups are small, kind and trauma-informed yet there is so much power to sitting with other survivors after feeling so alone for so long. Facilitated by specialist counsellors, groups are psychoeducational with a side benefit of peer support. We focus on trauma theory, attachment and relationships, neuroplasticity, self-care and self-compassion.

Currently, these can be delivered either face-to-face in Newtown or on Zoom. We have a few online groups ready to roll – we’re just waiting on referrals.

If you feel ready to talk, please contact us here.

Fifty years ago, a feminist collective of academics got sick of waiting for a government response to domestic violence. They changed the locks on two abandoned houses in Westmoreland Street, Glebe to set up the first refuge for women fleeing DV with their children. By changing the locks, they changed the lot of women. This women’s refuge movement soon sprouted specialist services for specific cohorts, including survivors of CSA.

Today, the Elsie conference marked the first refuge’s fiftieth anniversary. Our CEO represented Stepping Out and our board member, Jess Hill, spoke on a forum about DV today. Stepping Out is proud to be part of a movement which has made the world a safer place but consensus amongst a room full of amazing women is that constant vigilance is required.