{"id":12415,"date":"2018-03-19T15:35:18","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T15:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodmanray.com\/?p=12415"},"modified":"2025-12-17T14:28:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:28:04","slug":"what-constitutes-coercive-behavior-in-an-intimate-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodmanray.com\/ar\/news\/2018\/03\/what-constitutes-coercive-behavior-in-an-intimate-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"What constitutes coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Domestic abuse may not always be in a physical form. A victim may not recognise that coercive behaviour has taken place as any specific incident may appear isolated or the conduct by the perpetrator may seem innocent as the victim may rationalise it as being an isolated incident. As a result, many victims experience emotional and physical harm constituted by such behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although coercive behaviour was not recognised as an offence until 2015, in recent years such behaviour has received growing attention, resulting in the Government providing guidance on coercive behaviour. The guidelines provided by the Government<\/a> explain that \u2018coercive behaviour is a continuing act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish or frighten the victim\u2019*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as the Government providing guidelines, the criminal offence of coercive behaviour came into force on 29 December 2015. Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015<\/a>. provides that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) A person (A) commits an offence if\u2014
(a) A repeatedly or continuously engages in behaviour towards another person
(b) at the time of the behaviour, A and B are personally connected,
(c) the behaviour has a serious effect on B, and
(d) A knows or ought to know that the behaviour will have a serious effect on B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The offence recognises that the harm caused by repeated or continuous abuse and its cumulative effect on the victim can be more injurious and harmful than a single incident of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following examples have been provided to illustrate some of the types of action that may constitute coercive behaviour:<\/p>\n\n\n\n