The New South Wales Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control’s report, released today, unanimously recommends the criminalisation of coercive control but that criminalisation alone will not work without systemic reform.
The report has been welcomed by No to Violence, Australia’s largest peak body for organisations and individuals working with men who use family violence.
“The impacts of coercive controlling violence – both physical and non-physical – have lasting psychological impacts on victim survivors,” said Jacqui Watt, CEO, No to Violence.
“The release of this report acknowledges that we need to do more as a society to stop this – and this includes working with perpetrators.”
The Select Committee recommended the NSW Government give consideration to improving resources for behaviour change programs, including programs for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, the LGBTQ community, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and research into the efficacy of behaviour change programs in Australia and overseas.
“If we are to stop the impacts and trauma associated with coercive control, we need to be stopping it before it happens and soon as it presents. We need to be working with men, and we need to start as early as possible,” Ms Watt said.
“No to Violence welcomes the focus on risk assessment and mitigation. Our member organisations are an essential part of keeping perpetrators in view. However, in order to do this work, we need adequate funding to meet best practice standards. These needs to be an improved systemic response.”
ABOUT: No to Violence is Australia’s largest peak body for organisations and individuals working with men who use family violence; it operates the Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) which speaks to men concerned about their behaviour, and refers them to longer term support.
