South Carolina’s Mica’s Law — a bill to criminalize coercive control — has stalled in committee. Here’s what happened and what’s next.
Legal and Justice
The criminalization of coercive control is one of the most significant developments in domestic abuse law of the past decade — and one of the most unevenly implemented. England and Wales led the way in 2015. Scotland followed with broader legislation in 2018. Ireland enacted the Domestic Violence Act in 2019. Australia’s New South Wales introduced a standalone offense in 2024. In the United States, Hawaii and Connecticut have enacted coercive control laws, with active legislative efforts underway in additional states. Globally, the picture remains fragmented — and the gap between legislation existing and legislation being effectively enforced remains significant in every jurisdiction.
This section covers the legal landscape of coercive control: how it is defined in law, where it is criminalized, how it is prosecuted, how evidence is gathered and presented, and how survivors can navigate legal and institutional systems that were not always built to recognize non-physical patterns of abuse. It draws on the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index — the first systematic index of its kind on the web, established in 2020 and updated as legislation evolves — and on Manya Wakefield’s specialist knowledge of coercive control dynamics in family law and criminal proceedings.
For survivors navigating the family court system or criminal proceedings involving coercive control, a legal strategy advisory is available through recovery coaching.
Colorado’s coercive control legislation is at a pivotal moment. HB26-1309 — a bill that could change how family courts handle domestic abuse cases — is scheduled for a Senate vote on May 11, 2026. You need to know what is in it, and what opposition is trying to do to stop it.
The story behind the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index, why I built it, and how you can help me continue this work.
Coercive control leaves no bruises — but it leaves other evidence. This guide covers what counts as proof, how to document it, and the law.
Through the enactment of Om’s Law, Utah is formally recognizing the urgent necessity of closing the knowledge gap regarding the true, multifaceted nature of intimate partner and family violence. In the post-#MeToo era, the response to women articulating the reality of men’s violence has been a systematic rollback of bodily autonomy and labor equity. The political climate has shifted so…
U.K. law enforcement is finally confronting a chilling, yet frequently overlooked, instrument of coercive and controlling behavior: the tactical abuse of household pets. This February, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is launching a specialist training program for more than 150 senior investigators, casework managers, and decision-makers. The curriculum is designed to sharpen the investigative eye for the hidden…
Conversations about domestic abuse are often focused on what’s visible—physical violence, bruises, the tangible evidence of harm. However, physical violence is an instrument used to enforce regimes of coercive control in which victim-survivors are carefully groomed from subjugation using a pattern of psycho-emotional manipulation called coercive control. Over time, the cumulative effects of this type of abuse lead to the…
In compliance with HB 729 Florida law enforcement officers must administer a lethality assessment when responding to incidents of domestic violence.
On July 1, 2024 the Gabby Petito Act became law in Florida, offering enhanced protections for domestic violence victim-survivors.
On July 1, 2020, domestic violence survivors in Florida received expanded legal protections that include their pets. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bipartisan Senate Bill 1082 into law in June, 2020 allowing courts to include their pets in restraining orders against abusers.1 Perpetrators of coercive control may target pets as a means of inducing fear and submission in the victim, putting their lives at risk….