Intimate partner violence against women is a serious social problem affecting millions of women worldwide. Despite this, public perception—and sometimes even professional understanding—still tends to focus mainly on physical violence. An important but often overlooked form, however, is coercive control.
In a previous article, we addressed patterns of abusive behaviour and the dynamics of violent relationships. We noted that the goal of abusive men’s behaviour toward their partners is to gain power and control over their lives. This article therefore focuses on the essence of coercive control and how to recognize and address it more effectively.
Coercive control represents a range of behaviours through which an abusive partner enforces control over a woman’s daily life (and often the lives of children) through intimidation, threats, psychological pressure, and/or physical violence. It is a typical pattern of abusive behaviour, essential for assessing the risk of serious violence or murder, as well as the continuation of abuse after a woman leaves the relationship.
This concept was developed in several academic publications by American sociologist Evan Stark, who began his career as a police officer and had extensive experience intervening in cases of intimate partner violence against women. Stark described coercive control as the systematic undermining of a woman’s ability to make decisions and live freely. The perpetrator’s goal is not just to gain power but to maintain it through constant restriction, manipulation, and instilling fear.
One of the main challenges in addressing coercive control is its invisibility. Unlike physical violence, it leaves no visible marks, making it difficult to recognize not only for the women themselves but also for professionals and institutions.
Women living under coercive control often experience confusion, guilt, and self-doubt, because their partner convinces them that his behaviour is “normal” or that they deserve it. Fear of retaliation, further violence, or social judgment prevents many from speaking out about what they are experiencing. Stark compares this situation to living in captivity, where a woman is “trapped in a world created by the abusive partner—a world full of fear and contradictions.”
Some of the psychological and physical consequences of coercive control include:
Anxiety and depression – constant fear of retaliation, manipulation, and violence.
Loss of self-esteem and self-worth – due to long-term humiliation.
Social isolation – loss of contact with family and friends.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – long-term effects of trauma and fear.
Deterioration of physical health – insomnia, pain, chronic stress.
Research by Evan Stark, as well as his police experience indicates that the experiences of women subjected to intimate partner violence are not adequately reflected in laws or institutional practice. Protection systems often perceive abuse only as a series of isolated incidents, rather than a continuous pattern of power and control. This overlooks the core problem—the enforcement of obedience and intimidation.
Stark emphasizes that while physical attacks (e.g., hair-pulling, slapping, or humiliation) are often considered less serious, their persistence and connection to control make them severe forms of violence. Therefore, he argued that institutions must understand the dynamics of power and control and take them into account during interventions and decision-making.
Research shows that the level of control an abusive partner exerts over a woman’s life is a more accurate predictor of the risk of serious violence or murder than previous attacks (Stark, 2012).
Countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia have already recognized coercive control as a criminal offense in legislation. This approach allows for better protection of women while holding perpetrators accountable.
In Slovakia, many institutions still perceive intimate partner violence against women as a social or family problem, rather than a violation of rights and a form of power and control. This results in minimization of the issue and ineffective protection for women and their children
Like Stark, we are convinced that without a fundamental change in understanding of intimate partner violence and in institutional response to it, we will not be able to truly protect women and their children. Professional discussion, collaboration, and systemic solutions are needed to enable not only more effective protection for women and their children but also accountability for perpetrators of intimate partner violence against women.
Activities of Fenestra Counselling and Intervention Centre in 2025 are supported by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic through the grant program for providing professional assistance to victims of crime, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic within the grant for promoting gender equality and equal opportunities, and the Košice Self-Governing Region.
Fenestra bears sole responsibility for the content of this article.
