'Very insidious': The role of coercive control when intimate relationships turn violent

AI BRIEFING

• ⬤ Coercive control is a pattern of behavior where one partner seeks to exert power and control over the other through emotional manipulation, isolation, and violence.
• ⬤ In cases like Lucy's, the victim is often portrayed as the aggressor, with the perpetrator framing the abuse as self-defense.
• ⬤ This phenomenon is insidious, as it can be difficult for victims to escape the relationship, and in some cases, they may even be charged with a crime alongside their abuser.