Coercive Control

Love Shouldn’t Hurt

Coercive control is a criminal offence in Ireland If it happened after January 1st 2019,.

Coercive control and domestic abuse is a persistent and deliberate pattern of behaviour by an abuser over a prolonged period of time designed to achieve obedience and create fear.

It may include coercion, threats, stalking, intimidation, isolation, degradation and control. It may also include physical and/or sexual violence.

Section 39 of the new Domestic Violence Act 2018 sets out that:

(1) A person commits an offence where he or she knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that

(a) is controlling or coercive

(b) has a serious effect on a relevant person,

and

(c) a reasonable person would consider likely to have a serious effect on a relevant person.

The legislation explains that behaviour has “a serious effect” if the “relevant person” – that is an intimate partner – fears that violence will be used against them or if it causes serious alarm or distress that has a “substantial adverse impact on usual day to day activities”.

This new law makes coercive control more serious precisely because it relates to tactics used by an intimate partner – a spouse, non-spouse or civil partner – now or in the past.

You do not have to be in a sexual relationship for a partner to be an intimate partner.

A helpful website and contact is info@safeireland.ie or phone 0906 479078.