Raising awareness of the dangers of coercive behaviour is at the centre of a new Government campaign – after local domestic abuse victims raised concerns that some professionals were “waiting” for violence to occur before they could take action.

Launched today, the initiative aims to highlight the fact that coercive control – which is often hidden and subtle – is a form of abuse.

The campaign forms part of the Government’s ongoing work to tackle violence against women and girls, and points to support services for those facing coercive control in Jersey.

Coercive control was made a specific offence in 2023 under Jersey’s first domestic abuse law.

The term describes controlling behaviours over someone’s appearance, social life or finances.

It occurs when a victim is made dependent, isolated or regulated in ways that restrict their freedom and autonomy.

Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat said the campaign aimed to highlight that domestic abuse was not just about physical violence but also control and its long-term impact.

She said: “When the government brought forward the Domestic Abuse Law, coercive or controlling behaviour was made an offence because it was acknowledged that this kind of behaviour can have a really damaging impact on victims and their wider families.

“This campaign seeks to highlight this and remind those who are suffering this kind of behaviour that they can report it and they will be supported if they do.”

The campaign follows a 2023 survey of victim-survivors in Jersey, which revealed that more than 85% had experienced emotional or psychological abuse, 85% had encountered jealous or controlling behaviour, and more than 57% had suffered financial or economic abuse.

A subsequent report into violence against women and girls recommended that support services should conduct “training needs analyses” on coercive and controlling behaviour and “ensure appropriate staff were trained”.

The report read: “Victim-survivors who engaged with the research team described encounters with professionals who they felt were uninterested in their experience of coercive and controlling behaviour.

“These women told researchers about encounters with professionals who were unable to understand how a lack of choice and agency precludes physical and sexual harm.

“Women also described a feeling that some professionals were ‘waiting’ for violence to occur before they could take action.”

Responding to these findings, Deputy Le Hegarat reassured islanders that the police and support agencies were committed to addressing concerns.

In a statement, the police said they had made tackling domestic abuse a priority, recording 105 offences under the new Domestic Abuse Law and issuing 26 notification orders since its introduction two years ago.

Superintendent Alison Fossey added: “We recently launched our policing plan for the next four years, and tackling violence against women and girls is one of the key areas of focus for us this year.

“Among other things, we are building on our response to, and investigation of, domestic abuse and implementing an action plan to ensure we exploit the new law to its fullest.   

“There still remains much to do, but islanders can be confident that States of Jersey Police take all and any alleged offences which relate to violence against women and girls seriously.” 

The campaign will run across the Government’s social media channels, featuring personal stories and testimonies from victim-survivors to highlight different forms of abuse.

It follows last year’s ‘It’s Not Okay’ initiative, which targeted young men aged between 16 and 25 and aimed to raise awareness about harassment in public spaces.

The ongoing campaign is part of the government’s response to the VAWG Taskforce Report, which made 77 recommendations – 58 of which required Government action.

For more information on coercive control and support services, visit gov.je/VAWG.