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.)