Thank you so much for inviting us to speak on this important topic.
Domestic abuse is far more than a black eye or broken bone, but all too often we focus on instances of physical abuse, since that's what our laws commonly recognize, leaving the 60% to 80% of survivors who experience non-physical forms of abuse to go unvalidated and unsupported.
I'm hopeful that with this study you agree that we must stop this epidemic of violence by seriously considering legislation to prevent and intervene in cases of coercive control.
Many jurisdictions around the world have taken steps to address coercive control, which we define as a pattern of behaviour that removes personal agency.
As was already mentioned, England, Wales and Scotland have enacted coercive control legislation. In addition, legislation to address coercive control within domestic violence has been enacted in Ireland, Australia, three U.S. states with three more pending, and South Africa. There, they've established domestic violence courts that require police to refer victims to appropriate supports, and they have enacted provisions for the financial support of survivors.
France is the only country that has coercive control legislation that governs both domestic violence and cults and groups that use mental manipulation.
While there are many things that we can learn from these jurisdictions, the greatest thing that we want to emphasize today is that coercive control is a framework that allows victims to see their experiences recognized and validated. They are then empowered to share their stories and seek help.
Three years before the United Kingdom criminalized coercive control, they changed their definition of domestic violence to include coercive control. Their Home Office began talking about it in this way, and the social sector talked about it as coercive control as well. In those three years, domestic abuse calls to the police increased by 31%.
In addition, research from the College of Policing in the U.K. found that once enacted, the law enhanced the police response to domestic abuse, allowing for earlier and more effective intervention. It also found that there have not been any identified issues with charges laid against victims. This radical change spotlights the power of changing the public discourse and the legislation around coercive control and abuse.
With that, I'm going to turn it over to my colleague, Carrie McManus, who's our director of innovation and programs.