Lucy McDonald: Introduction of the domestic abuse act is day to rejoice but it’s just the beginning

Today is a day to rejoice, but it signals the beginning of the journey, not the end. Our research finds that more than 130,000 people in Scotland experience domestic abuse each year. 

For those victims who access specialist domestic abuse support, 68% disclose controlling behaviour.

Almost one in five women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. For too long, this daily, insidious abuse, where one person seeks to control another – with or without the use of physical violence – has gone unchallenged.

It’s time to take action. 

Read more: Harrowing 'control' abuse of Scottish women and children revealed

The concept of coercive control, sometimes referred to as a “liberty crime”, has long been recognised and understood by those working with victims and survivors of domestic abuse. 

If you ask any domestic abuse support or advocacy practitioner they will tell you countless examples of deliberate tactics used to isolate, undermine, threaten and degrade. 

Tactics that are subtle and hard to spot, but which slowly build up over time and combine to damage both the adult victim and the whole family well into future, long after any physical injury may have healed. 

However, despite this knowledge on the ground by specialist staff, until now these behaviours have had very limited visibility in our criminal justice system, with most offences centred on physical violence.

This has made it difficult to formally reflect the true nature of domestic abuse and coercive control.

It has restricted the ability to provide justice for those experiencing it, to adequately support children affected by it and to hold perpetrators to account. This is why the new legislation is such a significant step.

Coercive control has been an offence in England and Wales for three years and in that time there has been an increase in understanding and awareness of the dynamics of domestic abuse.

However, what is also clear is that legislation alone in not the answer. It must be accompanied by training, tools and other awareness raising measures to help professionals spot the signs of coercive control, and respond to it appropriately.

Read more: Case study: 'He’d say I had embarrassed him on a night out and twisted my friendships'

As this new legislation rolls out in Scotland, we’re proud to be working closely with Police Scotland and our partners ASSIST, the Caledonian System, Sacro (Fearless) and Scottish Borders Safer Communities team to deliver our domestic abuse programme for police, DA Matters Scotland. 

The programme is centred on the introduction of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, giving a practical awareness of the legislation and offering long-term attitudinal and behavioural change by helping the police understand what is meant by the term “coercive control”. 

It also prompts officers to recognise the tactics used by perpetrators to manipulate both victims and police responders. 

The voices of children are reflected in the training to support ground-breaking provisions in the legislation that recognise children actively experience domestic abuse in similar ways to the adult victim.

The truly collaborative, multi-agency approach to delivering this training makes it unique. In particular, the use of a dual-trainer model – with every session being delivered by a trainer with a proven police background alongside a domestic abuse specialist – brings together two voices and perspectives to maximise the impact.

SafeLives has over 100 approved trainers from all across Scotland sharing their expertise in the training room.

Over 14,000 officers and staff, across every level, will receive this expert training. All staff and responders will also receive specially developed e-learning to help them understand the legislation.

And a further cohort of self-nominated Domestic Abuse Champions will take forward the learning into the future.

We know that legislation alone will not change the response. Neither will working practices alone.

But if we work together, sharing information and expertise, we can build a picture of what is happening for those experiencing domestic abuse and ensure they get the right support as soon as possible. 

Today we look to the future with hope and anticipation. Working alongside Police Scotland and our partners, we will ensure the dynamics of coercive control are understood.

For too long domestic abuse has remained hidden behind closed doors.

Together we will open those doors and see the full picture for the families behind them. Only then will we improve the response. Only then will we sit back and celebrate.