Coercive control is a pattern of behaviours that someone uses to dominate and control their partner.
Instead of one-off incidents, it’s about ongoing actions that slowly take away a person’s independence, freedom, and sense of self.
Examples of coercive control include:
- Constant monitoring or checking up on someone
- Isolating them from friends, whānau, or support
- Controlling money, work, study, or daily choices
- Using threats, intimidation, or emotional manipulation
- Gaslighting – making someone doubt their own memory or feelings
Coercive control is often at the heart of intimate partner violence (IPV). While IPV can involve physical or sexual harm, coercive control is about creating an environment of fear and control that makes it hard for a person to leave or resist.
Technology facilitated coercive control (TFCC)
Technology-facilitated coercive control (TFCC) is when someone uses technology to control, scare, manipulate, or have power over someone. TFCC is a common tactic used by an abuser in their pattern of intimate partner violence and sexual harm.
Some examples of TFCC include:
- Monitoring a person’s social media activity or accessing their private messages and search history
- Accessing a partner's online accounts (email, social media, banking) without permission
- Incessant texting or calling to demand immediate responses
- Sharing or threatening to share intimate photos or videos without consent
- Contacting a person’s employer, GP, or other services without their consent