19/08/2025
I have just finished this book as I take a pause in my work and day to day life. I have followed and for many years now admiring their work and understanding a little of the pain has described so poignantly in his book. The freedom to speak your truth and to be heard. To try to make sense of and heal from your past trauma, shame and pain from abuse is something I continue to strive and work towards. This book should be read by all those survivors of CCB, by those working with victims of CCB and all those interested in making our world a better place. Having been a victim of CCB myself and still not being given the full freedom to speak out due to the Family courts and the further abuse I suffered there following the strength I found to leave, I admire David’s honesty even more. Two quotes from his book resonated most with me-“institutions like the police, judiciary and the courts all failed to grasp an understanding of coercive control. The worst accounts I heard came from survivors who had been dragged through the family courts. They detailed how their children had been used by their abusers as pawns, to coerce and control and ultimately poison them against the victim. Sometimes those stories did take root in their children’s hearts, leaving them convinced that their mothers were unwell, or worse, liars.” “Coercive control is not about stopping you from speaking out, it’s about ensuring you never think to speak in the first place.” The truth of those statements is deafening and the wider impact for survivors is misunderstood and hugely ignored and underestimated. Thank you for sharing your life with us and for all the work you do to raise awareness as well as your continued fight for justice for the thousands of victims out there.
