Debate contribution: Protecting Victims of Coercive Control

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 5 May 2026.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

5 May 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Protecting Victims of Coercive Control

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5525228

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Members to my left for tabling what is a really important motion. It has been really interesting to hear from different MLAs, many of whom have been in the job a lot longer than me. There are times in this job when I think that I have seen it all. A couple of months ago, I was with a victim of coercive control whose ex-partner was extremely intimidating in a number of ways. In one of the most horrific examples of intimidation that I have ever heard, he impersonated her by creating a profile with her likeness and photos and began to catfish men whom they both knew by offering them sex. That is a level of harm that I did not think was even possible. It speaks to the wider issue of how technology is being weaponised by abusers to exert coercive control. A number of comments that have been made here today really resonate with me. There may not be any cuts, bruises or scars, but the impact, harm and helplessness that those victims feel is like nothing that I have ever encountered. Learning about what happened to that woman was one of the most shocking moments that I have had with a constituent. I have also learnt about the weaponisation of children by perpetrators and abusers who use coercive control. That is heartbreaking. In addition, I have learnt about the use of trackers and about perpetrators stalking people outside their home and place of work. The justice system should be a place of refuge for victims in Northern Ireland. Trust should be inherent, and, at its best, justice should be able to help victims heal. Regrettably, however, our justice system too often does not help victims heal. Rather, it reopens old wounds and creates new ones. Unfortunately, the history of justice in the North means that many people do not trust it. Trust has not been inherent, and justice has been delayed and, sadly, too often denied. Many Members have spoken today about the institutional re-traumatisation caused by a court system that is not fit for purpose and that must be modernised. Although we cannot expect to rid the justice system of all its flaws, we can, and must, do better. It is worth thinking about the words of Sandra Day O'Connor, the late US Supreme Court justice, who said that a system of justice is never perfect but only as good as the people who administer it. I am sure that everyone in the Chamber agrees that the justice system can, and must, be better administered. This morning, when we remembered Katie Simpson, whose life was tragically taken too soon at the hands of her partner, the Minister rightly expressed a desire for protocols to reflect trauma-informed and gender-sensitive practices. She noted that there is a clear need to develop the mandatory use of trauma-informed, victim-centred investigative models. I really welcome her comments. It really is time for victims of coercive control to be adequately supported in our courts. As is stated in the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime's report 'Totally Invisible' from just last December:

"some family law processes can both mirror and extend patterns of abuse experienced by victims/survivors. For adults, the minimisation of DVA, post-separation continuation of DVA, and gendered assumptions all contribute to their experiences of disbelief, victim-blaming and re-traumatisation within legal proceedings."

I see that time and time again in my constituency office when supporting victims and survivors. To quote further:

"Litigation abuse is one of the most pervasive forms of post-separation abuse. It functions as a subtle, yet powerful, tool to initiate, prolong, or resurrect coercive control – commonly through repeatedly delaying proceedings, threatening further litigation, or advancing vexatious claims."

Many victims who had been through that experience noted the level of distress that they had experienced. One of them said:

"I lay on my friend's floor and cried desperate tears ... Since then, I have spent a lot of time in therapy sessions. Trying to make sense of what happened and process my re-traumatisation as a survivor of domestic abuse."

To finish:

"It is abusive within a relationship, and it is abusive within the legal system."

As we as a society are becoming more trauma-informed, it is time to listen to victims in all their experiences and to do all that we can as elected representatives to improve the court system.

736 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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