Myth: The victim is responsible for stopping abuse.Truth: Responsibility always lies with the perpetrator. Victims are never at fault for the abuse they experience. Support, intervention, and accountability are key to ending it.

Myth: Speaking up makes the situation worse.Truth: Disclosure can feel risky, especially if families or systems respond poorly. But staying silent does not reduce harm — it often increases danger. Support networks and professional intervention are critical.

Myth: If a child or adult is abused, authorities will automatically intervene.Truth: Systems fail when reports are ignored or minimised. Underreporting and institutional silence allow abuse to persist. Active safeguarding and advocacy are essential.

Myth: Families always protect victims.Truth: Sometimes families unintentionally enable abuse by minimising concerns, pressuring silence, or prioritising reputation. This can increase risk and isolate the victim. Support is protection — silence is not.

Coercive Control Myth: Abuse is only physical.Truth: Coercive control is subtle, persistent, and psychological. It can include isolation, monitoring, threats, and manipulation. Control often continues even when physical abuse isn’t present.

“Know the signs. Support victims. Report abuse safely.” Truth: Abuse rarely stops without intervention or support. Patterns of coercion and violence persist unless the perpetrator is held accountable. Safety requires action — not patience.

In safeguarding and psychological literature, a concerning pattern sometimes arises when the welfare of children is subordinated to the protection of an alleged or known abuser. This is often described as perpetrator-centred protection, or offender shielding, and can occur within families, institutions, or social networks. Key characteristics include: Psychological and safeguarding implications: Why it happens: Research identifies… Read More Perpetrator-Centred Protection and Its Risks to Children

What people usually mean by “paedophile protection” It refers to actions that shield an offender rather than protect children, such as: In psychology and safeguarding, this is more accurately described as: Why this happens (psychology, not excuses) Research shows this behaviour often arises from: Importantly:These motivations explain behaviour — they do not justify it. The key safeguarding… Read More Language matters

One of the least talked-about moments in coercive control happens after disclosure — not during the abuse. When someone finally tells a relative and the response is:“Well, you’ve told the whole world now,”followed by pressure to “just split everything quickly and move on” —with no empathy, no support, no concern for safety — something important is happening.… Read More Keep quiet!

When we talk about coercive control, we often focus on one person harming another.But in reality, it rarely operates alone. Coercive control spreads by shaping the social environment around the victim.Family members and close networks may be drawn in — not through malice, but through persuasion, partial information, and appeals to loyalty or “keeping the… Read More Closed networks