Explaining coercive control in abusive relationships

When Justin* was transitioning, he wanted to keep it private. Justin says while coercive control can be "difficult to prove", it caused him the most trauma of all the abuse he experienced. "When a lot of people think of family violence, they think of physical violence as an indicator," says Rita Butera, CEO of Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre. What makes coercive control so dangerous The NSW Death Review Team annual report shows many relationships which end in homicides had no previous reports of physical injuries. "For police it is challenging to address coercive control in Australia, as it falls outside of our current criminal code," Ms Field says.