In the past couple of years, there has been growing awareness of the dangers and prevalence of coercive control as a form of domestic and family abuse and violence. Debates across the country have considered legislative measures such as criminalisation and other penalties, as well as other means to entrench protections for people experiencing coercive control into support systems. However, the misuse and abuse of the human/animal bond as a form of coercive control has not been extensively explored within these debates despite it being a highly prevalent form of coercive control and a known signifier of some of the most dangerous perpetrators and indicator of increased risk of homicide. Lucy’s Project is asking practitioners to ensure they are familiar with the signs, asking the questions and understanding the dynamics of coercive control where the human/animal bond is exploited through this webinar series, “Let’s talk about the leash”. Nik Taylor and Heather Fraser are leading experts in the field of animal abuse and domestic violence and the authors of “Companion Animals and Domestic Violence- Rescuing Me, Rescuing You” (Palgrave 2019) Alongside testimonies from people with lived experience, this webinar series will expand our awareness of the dynamics of coercive control with the goal of improving outcomes for victim survivors and up-skilling frontline workers.
This series is proudly funded by the NSW Government.
