male perpetrated aggression & violence
About male perpetrated aggression
& violence
Gender
Abolishing Gender Inequality just got a whole lot more urgent
Gender inequality sets the necessary social context for violence against women
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Gender inequality is where women and men do not have equal social status, power, resources or opportunities, and their voices, ideas and work are not valued equally by society.
Gender inequality provides the underlying conditions for violence against women. It exists at many levels in our society – from how we view men and women, to economic factors like the pay gap between men and women, to family and relationship roles and expectations
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The following are gendered drivers of violence against women:
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Condoning of violence against women
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Men's control of decision making and limits to women's independence in public life and relationships
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Rigid gener roles and stereotyped constructions of femininity and masculinity
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Male peer relations that emphasise aggresssion and disrespect toward women
Source: Our Watch Respectful relationships and education in schools evidence paper
Criminalising Coercive Control
​What is Coercive Control?
The use by one person of controlling and manipulative behaviours such as isolation, emotional manipulation, surveillance, psychological abuse and financial restriction against another person over a period of time for the purpose of establishing and maintaining control. In relationships characterised by coercive control, abusers use tactics of fear and intimidation to exert power over their victim, undermining their independence and self-worth. Women's Safety NSW.
What is the relationship between coercive control and violence?
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Research indicates coercive control is a predictor of severe physical violence and intimate partner homicide.
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The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence found that ignoring patterns of controlling behaviour and focusing only on physical violence trivialises the abuse victims endure and traps them in violence. It can also have lethal consequences.
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In some cases the existing criminal law is incident based and does not recognise that a ‘course of conduct’ or a series of acts over a period of time, taken together, may constitute an offence.
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Coercive control was criminalised in England and Wales in 2015, and in Scotland in 2018. One of the major differences between the two is the Scotland offence does not require evidence of the effect on the victim-survivor, whereas under the English/Welsh offence outlines the behaviour must have a ‘serious effect’ on the victim-survivor.
Source: Parliamentary paper non abusive forms of control
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The following are the most recent steps taken in Australia toward criminalising coercive control:
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In December 2020, legislation was introduced in South Australia's Parliament to criminalise coercive control
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In February 2021, the Queensland government announced a taskforce to examine coercive control. It will deliver findings in October
Men leading change
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