QAI made a submission to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce regarding the proposals to legislate against coercive control and create a standalone domestic violence offence.
QAI is deeply concerned about the disproportionate rates of violence and abuse affecting people with a disability, including acts and patterns of behaviour that could be described as coercive control. QAI calls for a thorough consideration of evidence-based solutions that effectively stop violence against people with a disability. However, QAI is not aware of evidence that suggests criminalising coercive control will achieve this objective and considers that the risks associated with this step outweigh potential benefits. We need a paradigm shift away from what makes headlines towards what works.
Read our full submission via the links below.