Coercive Control

Coercive control is a persistent pattern of controlling, coercive and threatening behaviour including all or some forms of domestic abuse (emotional, physical, financial, sexual including threats) by a current or former intimate partner.

Coercive control is when your partner or ex-partner:

  • Isolates you from your friends and family
  • Deprives you of basic everyday needs like food, electricity or heating
  • Monitors your online activity, or has installed spyware on your phone, laptop or any other device
  • Takes control over aspects of your everyday life, such as where you can go, who you can see, what to wear, when to be home and when you can sleep
  • Stops you from accessing support services, such as specialist support or medical services
  • Puts you down repeatedly, for example, tells you that you’re worthless
  • Enforces rules and activities that humiliate, degrade or dehumanise you
  • Coerces you into sexual activity
  • Forces you to take part in criminal activity such as shoplifting
  • Controls the finances and prevents you from working or having your own money
  • Threatens to reveal or publish private information about you, like private photos or videos online.

Coercive control is a criminal offence in Ireland. Read more about coercive control and the law here.