Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I want to express my thanks to the witnesses for being here today and also for their kind words.
The victims ombudsman made reference to my personal situation. I just want to say that I did grow up in a family where coercive control and behaviour many years ago was seen as the rule and normal. Unfortunately, I think what we're finding in these hearings is that it's still quite often seen as natural or the rule that should apply in families.
My reason for bringing this forward really is in direct response to the many women who have reached out during COVID for assistance and help as the already-existing problem of intimate partner violence, domestic violence and coercive and controlled behaviour has become worse during the pandemic as access to services have been more restricted.
I want to go to Ms. Silverstone. She talked about people staying in abusive relationships because of the loss of independence and how that's related to coercive and controlling behaviour. Maybe she could just tell us a bit more, in her experience and the organization she works with, about the significance of the loss of independence.