Most victim-survivors of coercive control want the behaviour to be criminalised while also fearing it would not actually improve safety.
Coercive control is a form of family violence involving long-term control and manipulation, but does not necessarily involve physical abuse.
More than nine in ten female victim-survivors believe the behaviour should be criminalised, according to a study led by scientists from Monash University.
Some 1261 adult victim-survivors took part in an anonymous online survey in early January 2021.
Overall, 87.5 per cent of people surveyed backed the push for criminalisation however the majority did not think it would actually increase safety.
“It’s easy to show photos of bruises and broken bones. How do you explain a broken brain?” one survivor said.
Most believed the benefits would be felt away from court or policing, according to lead researcher Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon.
She said many thought it would boost community awareness, which could then flow on to more support systems and referral pathways.
“There has been increased attention in recent years of the ways in which the criminal court system can traumatise victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence,” Professor Fitz-Gibbon said.
“While in principle the majority of victim-survivors in this study supported criminalisation of coercive control, they were also acutely aware of the barriers and risks of engaging with the justice system.”
NSW criminalised coercive control in late 2022 and Queensland is in the processes of doing so, with the backing of the parents of the late Hannah Clarke.
Ms Clarke was doused in petrol by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter and burned alive, along with her three young children Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey.
Just one in three Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander victim-survivors believed legal reforms would improve safety, with many concerned about potential impacts on already over-criminalised populations.
Many survey respondents also described having existing laws against them and were worried new laws could give offenders more ammunition if they were not implemented correctly.
© AAP 2023
