Coercive Control: Understanding and Experiences in a Post Bill Environment

基于性别的暴力和家庭暴力在全球范围内稳步增加（米塔尔和辛格，2020）。自2004/5年以来，全国报告的家庭暴力事件逐年增加。令人担忧的是，与整个西欧相比，它是家庭暴力导致的人均杀害女性率最高的国家之一（PSNI, 2022）。新的《家庭虐待法案》引入了以前被忽视的关于虐待方面的刑事定罪和诉讼措施，例如强制控制（司法部，2021年）。然而，对这项新法案的实施情况进行的研究很少，无论是通过跟踪报告的案件数量还是探索对强制控制的理解。虽然Lagdon等人（2022）发现公众缺乏对强制控制的理解，但对法定组织和刑事司法当局的理解的研究有限。鉴于误解可能对民事诉讼产生的后果，并且因为强制控制是亲密伴侣杀人的风险因素，这一点很重要（Elliot, 2017）。该博士将与妇女援助协会合作，采用混合方法，利用半结构化访谈，深入了解胁迫对虐待受害者的影响，同时调查对强制控制的法定理解。来自MARAC和PSNI的数据将告知案件之间的区域和人口差异。博士学位的独创性和意义在于，在冲突后、法案实施后的社会中，被忽视的北爱尔兰妇女遭受家庭虐待的经历。调查结果将有助于提出有系统地修改提供支助的办法和广泛改变文化、社会和法律规范的建议。

Gender-based violence and violence in the home has increased steadily across the globe (Mital & Singh, 2020). NI has witnessed rising reported domestic abuse incidents year on year since 2004/5. Worringly, it has one of the highest rates of domestic abuse motivated femicide per capita, compared to the entirety of Western Europe (PSNI, 2022). The new Domestic Abuse Bill has introduced previously neglected criminalisation and litigative measures concerning abuse aspects, such as coercive control (DoJ, 2021). However, there is little research into the implementation of this new bill, either by tracking reported case amounts and/or exploring understandings of coercive control. Whilst Lagdon et al. (2022) found that public understanding of coercive control is lacking, there is limited research into understanding within statutory organisations and criminal justice authorities. This is significant given the ramifications miscomprehension may have on civil proceedings, and because coercive control is a risk factor for intimate partner homicide (Elliot, 2017). Using a mixed methods approach, in collaboration with Women's Aid, this PhD will utilise semi-structured interviews to provide insight into the effects coercion has on victims of abuse, alongside investigation into statutory understandings of coercive control. Data from MARAC and the PSNI will inform upon regional and demographic disparities between cases. The PhD's originality and significance lies in the underrepresented Northern Irish women's experiences of domestic abuse, in a post-conflict, post-Bill implementation society. The findings will contribute to recommendations for a systemic reworking of support provision and a broad change to cultural, social and legal norms.