Massachusetts House unanimously passes Bill H 4744 to ban coercive control and revenge porn awaiting Gov. Healey’s signature for enactment.
Coercive Control
Coercive control is pattern of behavior used by one person to harm, punish, frighten, or threaten another person. It is considered the most dangerous and malicious type of intimate partner and family violence as it is a form of psychological torture. Domestic violence occurs in the context of coercive control. Moreover, it is the foundational strategy used to accomplish the subjugation, oppression, and exploitation of women.
Signs of coercive control include:
– Monitoring your time
– Taking control of your daily life
– Devaluation
– Obstruction of Employment
– Financial abuse
– Criminal damage
– Isolation
– Rules and Regulations
– Deprivation of Basic Needs
– Monitoring Communication
– Threats
– Sexual Assault
It was first criminalized in the UK in 2015. To learn what other countries and states have laws against it, log onto The Coercive and Controlling Legislation Global Database, which we developed in 2020 to monitor legislative updates.
“Why didn’t you just leave?” is a question bystanders often ask coercive control survivors. It shows the urgent need for increased awareness.
Research exposes the alarming rate of Black femicide in the U.S. and explores the urgent need for solutions.
Queensland passes groundbreaking coercive control legislation to tackle intimate partner violence and femicide in honor of Hannah Clarke.
EU enacts new laws to combat over 3000 annual femicides, aiming to significantly reduce violence against women across the continent.
An alarming report shows that Ireland’s police received an alarming 60,000 domestic violence reports in 2023.
Violence Free Minnesota remembers the 39 known victims of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota at their annual We Remember ceremony.
Coercive control survivor Andrea Smith bravely shares experience of the dangerorous cycle of abuse and how she escaped
Victoria McNulty’s experience of coercive control highlights systemic flaws and the urgent need for change to protect and empower victims.
An alarming report from the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence reveals that the state’s decision to ignore the urgent need to expand existing legislation to include coercive control has made it a hotspot for intimate partner abuse in the United States. According to Arizona’s Family, the state has one of the highest rates of domestic violence fatalities…