Features / Sixteen to 25 year olds most likely to suffer domestic abuse, say Women’s Aid
The local charity is looking for a new prevention education coordinator
“COERCIVE control is one of the most common forms of domestic abuse, but the one people know the least about,” says Shetland Women’s Aid prevention education coordinator Abby Bisset.
The charity has been delivering sessions with high school students across Shetland on the topic of of domestic abuse and coercive control with the aim of spreading awareness to young people to prevent them from entering toxic relationships.
Coercive control is defined as a form of humiliation and intimidation that is used to harm, punish, or scare the victim. It is a form of deliberate psychological abuse that became a criminal offence in Scotland in 2019.
Bisset explained: “It can happen over a long period of time or over a very short period of time.
“The abuser uses tools like manipulation, gaslighting, isolation, monitoring what you’re doing, guilt-tripping you, belittling you, embarrassing you, that chips away at your person little by little. You end up being totally dependent on that person without even realising.”
Coercive control can be present in all forms of abuse, from psychological, physical, sexual, or financial abuse. She said: “I think it’s really important that young people gain an understanding about that. Sixteen to 25-year-olds are actually the cohort most likely to suffer from domestic abuse and from coercive control.”
Bisset added: “And sadly, it’s our first relationships in this age group that build the foundations of how we think our relationships are supposed to be going forward. So, if you can manage to nip it in the bud and help people understand they won’t end up in these toxic relationships and help their friends and family as well.”
She has been in post for 18 months and is now moving to Glasgow to complete a masters in social work. Shetland Women’s Aid, which relaunched its website, has an open vacancy for a new prevention education coordinator.
The role involves raising awareness about Shetland Women’s Aid and prevention education.
The post holder is responsible for attending events and running sessions with other organisations both in Shetland and outside the isles, as well as running sessions in local schools. There is also social media awareness and the upkeep of the Shetland Women’s Aid website.
While in post, Bisset has spearheaded the prevention education programme – revamping and redesigning the content Shetland Women’s Aid use in schools.
She added: “Women’s Aid has found nationally that young people don’t resonate with the organisation and think it’s for middle-aged women.
“So, we’ve been working with young people to remove the barriers and access our services better. It’s also allowed us to understand what matters to young people too.”
The post is open for applications until Friday 22 August, and more details can be found on the Shetland News jobs page.
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