No to Violence welcomes the New South Wales Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control’s report, released today.
The report unanimously recommends the criminalisation of coercive control; but that criminalisation will not without systemic reform.
“The impacts of coercive controlling violence – both physical and non-physical – have lasting psychological impacts on victim survivors. The release of this report acknowledges that we need to do more as a society to stop this – and this includes working with perpetrators,” says Jacqui Watt, Chief Executive Officer, No to Violence.
The Select Committee recommended the NSW Government gives 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.”
“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.”
Jacqui Watt is
