Under the new legislation, abusers exhibiting “coercive or controlling” behavior can face a fine and up to five years in prison. However, the law is only applicable when the abuser’s behavior has had a “serious effect” on the victim’s life or causes them to fear violence if they don’t comply.
The law will also protect spouses, partners and family members who have faced psychological and emotional torment but the abuse stopped short of violence.
The legislation comes on the heels of a Home Office consultation in which 85 percent of those surveyed said the previous law did not provide enough protection for victims.
Abuse is a repetitive pattern of behaviors to maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Most notably, controlling or coercive behaviour is “primarily a form of violence against women and girls,” said the government’s Home Office.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said the organization was “thrilled” following the passage of the new law.
Neate also pointed out, “Perpetrators will usually start abusing their victim by limiting her personal freedoms, monitoring her every move and stripping away her control of her life […] Physical violence often comes later.”
Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions, told the media: “Controlling or coercive behaviour can limit victims’ basic human rights, such as their freedom of movement and their independence.”
“This behaviour can be incredibly harmful in an abusive relationship where one person holds more power than the other, even if on the face of it this behaviour might seem playful, innocuous or loving. Victims can be frightened of the repercussions of not abiding by someone else’s rules. Often they fear that violence will be used against them, or suffer from extreme psychological and emotional abuse. These new powers mean this behaviour, which is particularly relevant to cases of domestic abuse, can now be prosecuted in its own right,” said Saunders.
