Criminalisation of coercive control reaches 10-year anniversary

Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, comments:  

“This year marks a decade since coercive and controlling behaviour has been recognised as a crime, and, with the government’s violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy being published this month, we hope that we will see significant changes over the next decade. 

Coercive control is at the heart of domestic abuse – it is isolating, insidious and confidence-crushing. It makes women feel that they can’t exist outside of their abuser and that everything, including contact with friends and family has to be approved by the abuser. Despite it being a recognised as a crime for a decade, the conviction rates remain stubbornly low, meaning that those responsible can continue this abhorrent crime with impunity. As the government commits to eradicating VAWG, I am hopeful that in the next decade, we will see greater awareness of coercive control, leading to more convictions for this abhorrent crime, as well as greater awareness of it amongst children and young people. It is only by ensuring that young people recognise coercive control and how damaging it is, that we can work towards a world which has no place for it. 

As we work towards creating a society which no longer tolerates domestic abuse, it is vital that those working in the criminal justice system receive training on coercive control, to better understand how dangerous and damaging this behaviour is. It is vital that those working on holding criminals accountable understand what coercive control is, how to recognise it and how to secure convictions for it.”

Natalie Curtis, Survivor Ambassador for Women’s Aid, said:  

“Coercive control is devastating – it leaves survivors feeling ashamed, embarrassed, frightened and unsure. It takes over their whole life. As a survivor, I know these feelings first hand. I fled my abuser and reported the abuse to the police in 2018 and I remember the fear I felt and how difficult it was to live my normal, day-to-day life.  

A decade on, some positive changes have taken place – there is greater awareness and the government has committed to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG), in the next decade, with a strong focus on improving children and young people’s understanding of healthy relationships. Despite this, conviction rates for coercive control remain stubbornly low. For years now, I, along with Women’s Aid, have been calling on better training for all those working in the criminal justice system – the insidious nature of coercive control must be understood and its impact on survivors cannot be underestimated. Only when taken seriously can we hope to improve conviction rates and make sure women are safe from this awful crime.”