Domestic violence and psychological abuse

Campaigners are urging the Government to criminalise types of psychological abuse to save more victims of domestic violence.

Three groups want the Government to criminalise "coercive control" - patterns of abusive behaviour which cause psychological harm reports ITV Central News.

It can include being excessively jealous, isolating your partner from family and friends, controlling what they wear or deliberate sleep deprivation and threats.

The Home Office included the term "coercive control" in their definition of domestic violence last year, but they have to legislate against it.

Two women in the UK each week are killed by their partners and campaigners from Women's Aid, the Sara Charlton Charitable Foundation and stalking advice service Paladin said the most dangerous cases involve domestic violence, stalking and this type of control.

Writing for ITV News Central, Catherine Saunders, project manager at Midlands Women's Aid based in Nottinghamshire, said the next step to protect victims and prevent deaths is reform to allow the criminal justice system to take account of patterns of controlling and violent behaviour.

Dr Maxine Woolhouse representitive of the British Psychological Society’s Psychology of Women Section said: 

"The report highlights a huge problem in that the term ‘domestic abuse’ is most commonly understood as physical abuse and violence. As the woman (‘Katie’) featured in the report states, this understanding of domestic abuse as only involving physical violence means that many women, and society at large, do not recognise a partner’s psychological persecution as abuse. The implication of this is that many women suffering psychological abuse may not feel justified in seeking help, and given the lack of recognition of this type of abuse, may not be taken seriously if they do indeed speak out and seek help.

"Personally I’m not sure whether criminalising psychological abuse would be possible to carry out in practice. However, doing so would send a strong message that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. 

"It’s just as important to recognise that the coercion, control and domination involved in the psychological abuse of women are part of a much bigger and wider problem in that these are some of the very things which underpin common understandings of heterosexual masculinity – in other words, ‘what it means to be a real man’. How many fathers say to their daughters, “You’re not going out dressed like that!” (is this not control, coercion and domination)? In spite of our so-called era of gender quality, the patriarchal control of women still rages on. It is so commonly taken for granted that men have the right to judge, evaluate, manipulate and control what women do, what they wear, where they go, who they associate with…and the list goes on. 

"This is not to belittle in any way the very serious and often life-threatening circumstances which many women experience in psychologically abusive relationships, as was depicted in the ITV report. But, I think it is dangerous and unhelpful if we view these types of relationships as completely separate and unconnected from most ‘normal’ heterosexual relationships and that somehow, the men in these relationships are ‘monsters’ and the women are ‘weak and helpless’. Rather, I think it is important for us to recognise that abusive relationships are a product of the wider problem of the patriarchal control of women – and that doesn’t just concern those relationships which are more readily recognisable as abusive – it concerns us all.“

Today, Saturday 8 March, is International Women's Day with this year's theme 'Inspiring Change'.

The BPS Psychology of Women Section aims to draw together all those working in different areas of psychology who share an interest in the psychology of women, and to provide a forum within which issues in this field may be debated. Find out more.

Open all references in tabs: [1 - 4]

Leave a Reply