Young women are being taught the signs of coercive control amid a rise in family and domestic abuse-related cases. It comes as more Australian states move to outlaw the controlling pattern of behaviour.
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00:00At a multicultural youth group in Adelaide, young girls and women are sharing experiences,
00:06building friendships and getting involved in the community.
00:09But they're also part of a cohort being educated on how to spot signs somebody may be experiencing
00:15coercive control in a relationship.
00:17One of the examples can be somebody controlling you over how you behave, where you go, what
00:24you're doing and then what kind of decision you're making in your life.
00:28Convincing you that something is OK when it really isn't.
00:32Not being exposed to what you deserve, so you believe something that is much, much lower.
00:38The young women say it's also important to call it out.
00:41Really seek out the help, even if you're going to get your significant other in trouble,
00:46it's really the best thing to do.
00:48The SA government funded the program, which was aimed at young women from linguistically
00:52and culturally diverse backgrounds.
00:55And while abuse can happen to anyone, finding accommodation, obtaining legal advice and
01:00achieving financial independence in times of need can be exacerbated in these communities.
01:05When you're new, you might come to Australia and then you might get into a relationship
01:08and because you're new and you're blindsided by a new country, you know, new people, you
01:13don't really realise that, so I think it was really important.
01:17According to the latest police data, family and domestic violence related incidents have
01:22risen by 15% in South Australia in the past year.
01:25But despite rising rates, the government says it's tackling the issue through calling a
01:29Royal Commission.
01:31The really great thing about the Royal Commission is that it's going to give us an opportunity
01:35to identify any gaps in system service provision.
01:40And the Minister says programs like these aren't about putting the onus on women, they
01:44work alongside programs that aim to help perpetrators with rehabilitation.