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…
Entrapment-Based Relationship
Entrapment-based relationships refer to partnerships where one individuals is confined due to manipulation tactics used by a controlling partner. The entrapped person is conditioned by the controlling person to dread the consequences of exiting the relationship, as the controller has demonstrated the dire consequences they will face should the leave.
Controlling people who cultivate entrapment based relationships often subject their victims with threats about how they will “pay” should the abandon the relationships. There is a spectrum of consequences that ranges from humiliation (i.e. character assassination, revenge porn) to extreme acts of violence (i.e. femicide, familicide, murder/suicide).
Uninformed bystanders are often ignorant about the manipulation tactics used by controllers. Therefore they are prone to victim-blaming, and frequently ask, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” without understanding the reality of the psychological terror victim-survivors experience in entrapment based relationships. For context, a child dies every six days in the context of child custody disputes. These acts of filicide are intended to punish victim-survivors for leaving entrapment-based relationships. The most dangerous time for any survivor of coercive control is leaving the relationship.
In such relationships, the party feeling entrapped often dreads the consequences of leaving, as the other party may resort to punishments and cruelty as a means of maintaining control.
Breaking free from such a relationship requires support and intervention. Victims can seek assistance from friends, family, or professional counselors to understand the dynamics of the relationship and explore strategies for establishing boundaries and regaining control over their lives.
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…
How the DARVO (Deny Attack Reverse Victim and Offender) tactic shows up in marriage and other types of relationships.
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…
As autumn settles in, we enter a new season: hobosexual season. As the air turns crisp and the leaves start to fall, these slick-talking opportunists prowl around seeking to exploit financially secure, independent women. While the term may elicit a chuckle, the harm inflicted by these con artists can be severe. While low-level hobosexuals love-bomb their way into a…
Are you experiencing abuse after a separation? Learn about your rights and where to find help during Post-Separation Abuse Awareness Week.
A hobosexual is someone who dates for housing, not love. Learn the signs, psychology, and how to avoid being taken advantage of.
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.
Victoria MP Laurel Collins’ proposed coercive control legislation passes third reading in Canada’s House of Commons