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…
Coercive Control
Coercive control is a sustained pattern of behavior used by one person to dominate, subjugate, and trap another. It is not a single incident — it is a campaign, unfolding over months or years through isolation, surveillance, financial restriction, gaslighting, degradation, and the systematic erosion of the targeted person’s autonomy, identity, and sense of what is real.
The term was developed by forensic social worker Dr. Evan Stark, who described it as a liberty crime — an offense not primarily against the body but against personhood itself. In many jurisdictions it is now recognized in law. In the UK, coercive and controlling behavior has been a criminal offense since 2015. In Australia, New South Wales introduced a standalone coercive control offense in 2024. In the United States, Hawaii and Connecticut have enacted coercive control legislation, with additional states advancing bills.
Narcissistic Abuse Rehab maintains the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index — the first systematic index of its kind on the web — as a reference for survivors, advocates, legal professionals, and policymakers navigating this landscape.
Content tagged here covers the full spectrum of coercive control: its tactics and mechanisms, its neurological and psychological consequences, the legal frameworks designed to address it, its relationship to femicide and intimate partner homicide, and the recovery frameworks that support genuine healing. For the most comprehensive overview, see the Definitive Guide to Coercive Control.
For World Diabetes Day 2025, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) championed a theme of Diabetes and Well-being, with a specific focus on the workplace. The campaign urged employers to combat stigma and foster supportive environments — a worthy cause, but one that illuminates a troubling blind spot at the heart of global diabetes advocacy. For millions of survivors of intimate partner…
This year, UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism is spotlighting the crisis of gender-based digital violence.
A new study reveals Ireland’s gender-based violence attitudes are outdated, hindering progress towards equality.
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…
Are you experiencing abuse after a separation? Learn about your rights and where to find help during Post-Separation Abuse Awareness Week.
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….
A new report reveals high rates of intimate partner violence in Hawaii, with 1 in 5 residents experiencing coercive control.