Power and Control

Many domestic abusers aim to gain power and control over their victim. They will use various tactics to achieve this goal. Physical violence, sexual violence and/or the threat of violence forces the victim to submit to the perpetrators demands resulting in the perpetrator having the dominance they desire. Many victims are fearful of how far the perpetrator will go in order keep power and control, giving them no or very little choice but to submit to their demands and remain in the abusive relationship out of fear for their life and in many cases also their children’s life.

The power and control wheel was created in the early 1980’s in Duluth, USA and is now recognised around the world. It lists the tactics abusers use to gain and remain power and control. Although some of language used in this video is out dated the power and control wheel is an excellent resource to help understand power and control.