Registrations have opened for the State Government's public See the Signs Coercive Control forum to be held next month at Adelaide's Festival Centre with courageous advocates Sue and Lloyd Clarke joining Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Katrine Hildyard, for the important discussion.
The forum, to be held on Wednesday, 15 March, will answer questions and develop a broader public discourse and awareness about the list of troubling behaviours that are considered coercive, and the Malinauskas Government's commitment to criminalise them.
Consultation sessions regarding coercive control legislation have been taking place with interest groups since November last year with victim-survivors, young women, Aboriginal women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and LGBTQIA+ community members having their voices heard.
Hannah Clarke and her three children, Sue and Lloyd's daughter and grandchildren, were killed by her former partner in a horrifying attack in 2020, following a relationship in which she was a victim of this insidious form of domestic violence.
Patterns of behaviour consistent with coercive control include excessively monitoring women, isolating women from their support networks, gaslighting and threatening to harm children and pets. The patterns of behaviour can be relentless and set out to diminish a persons' sense of self-worth and their autonomy.
Award-winning social commentator and writer Jane Caro will chair the event and attendees will hear from the Clarkes, the Minister, sector experts and advocates and be invited to engage in the awareness raising campaign.
To register for this important event, please click here.
Quotes
Attributable to Katrine Hildyard
Coercive control is an insidious, terrifying form of domestic abuse which must be tackled.
The Malinauskas Government is determined to criminalise coercive controlling behaviours, where men seek to eliminate the agency of their partners and diminish their self-worth.
Criminalising coercive, controlling patterns of behaviour is the right thing to do; taking this legislative step and engaging in community awareness raising around it could save lives.
Current legislative measures generally deal with incidents of domestic violence. Criminalising coercive control contemplates and deals with patterns of controlling and coercive behaviours and represents an enormous step forward in the legislative frameworks that deal with perpetrators and improve community understanding of all that constitutes domestic abuse.
We are committed to doing all that we can to help prevent violence against women and children; this legislation is needed to do so and the community conversation at the forum is an important part of shifting understanding.
I am incredibly grateful to Sue and Lloyd Clarke who, having experienced the most tragic of circumstances, will bravely speak and encourage the Government and the South Australian community as it takes the required steps to safeguard women and children in this state.
Attributable to Sue and Lloyd Clark
Criminalising coercive control is essential to transform what we determine to be acceptable behaviour in relationships and how we identify and address abuse.
We are honoured to address South Australia's upcoming forum and share our experience in hope that we help protect other families from tragedy.
We will continue our push for law reform Australia-wide on behalf of victim-survivors and educate as many people as we can about respectful relationships.
Domestic Violence Crisis Line (SA 24/7): 1800 800 098
1800RESPECT (National 24/7): 1800 737 732
Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000.
