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How One of Massachusetts’ Newest Laws Can- and Will- Save Lives.
Last month, Gov. Maura Healey signed bill H4744 into law, making Massachusetts the seventh state in the country to classify coercive control as a form of domestic violence. Domestic violence is about power and control; it’s one person using a pattern of behaviors to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. Recognizing coercive control as a form of domestic violence is long overdue. It could potentially prevent the abuse from escalating. This bill isn’t a magical answer, but it is one important step towards loudly and emphatically condemning all forms of abuse.
You are a total boss. You are experiencing relationship abuse. You are not alone.
You can be accomplished. You can be a leader. You can be someone that others look up to, maybe even someone’s hero. You can be crushing it professionally, and you can also be experiencing abuse. Being a leader and experiencing abuse are not mutually exclusive experiences. I felt compelled to write this blog because I see too many accomplished professionals suffering in silence; their image and success have become an additional barrier to seeking and receiving support.
Where is the Accountability?
We are told there’s too little evidence, or too much evidence… the rules keep changing but the outcome is the same: a lack of accountability for those who perpetuate gender-based violence. The criminal justice system was not created to protect survivors and too often it upholds imbalances of power that allow perpetrators to harm again and again.