ECLIPSES - Multifaceted Entrapment Safety and Risk Analysis Concept

Family Violence IS Coercive Control

• Coercive Control is Patterns of Harm and Result in Entrapment

• Entrapment is Multifaceted

When analysing risk and strategising safety in family violence, we have to explore all aspects of patterns of harm that create risk and barriers (internal and external) that restrict connection and engagement with services and support, and the possible reasons behind responses. That means we have to look beyond the family violence – Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Intrafamilial Violence (IFV) to understand the complex context of whānau lives. 

ECLIPSE has designed an analysis framework Multifaceted Entrapment, which supports exploration multiple levels of entrapment. If practitioners and responders do not understand that entrapment is multi-faceted, then they may be missing barriers to engagement, that can further harm primary victims. It's important we're not only responding to relationship entrapment (internal entrapment), without considering barriers that may exist for whānau due to prior systemic and structural entrapment (external entrapment). 

Whānau may not be willing to, unable to, or may be fearful of engaging with services, systems and structures that have previously harmed them. An understanding of all facets of entrapment, will result in a greater understanding of individuals own experiences of entrapment, ensure supports are better and more appropriately informed, create greater likelihood of trusting relationship being developed with supporters (as they have taken the time to understand the individual and not just use a one size fits all approach to response) and therefore provide greater likelihood of connection and safer outcomes for whānau.

ECLIPSE Family Violence Services - Multifaceted entrapment

1.       Relationship Entrapment (Internal Entrapment)

Relational entrapment is where predominant aggressor abuse entraps the primary victim. The predominant aggressor uses patterns of coercive control over time as a calculated way in which to entrap the primary victim in the relationship.  Entrapment inhibits and removes a primary victim's ability to exist freely within their own world.

2.       Systemic and Organisation Entrapment (External Entrapment)

Systemic and organisational entrapment is where systems and organisations do not respond appropriately to the primary victim, resulting in further victimisation and/or entrapment. Predominant aggressors can also use systems and organisations as a way of controlling the primary victim (for example, by making counter allegations resulting in investigations of the primary victim by organisations).

3.       Structural Entrapment (External Entrapment)

Structural entrapment is where the overarching structures that exist within the likes of our societal constructs, communities, government structures, ineffective legislation, or court systems can result in further victimisation and entrapment.  Ineffective or ill-informed structural process, or mindset can result in inequitable response due to acts such as racism and ethnic bias, gender bias, LGBTQIA+ bias, ageism bias, ableism bias etc.

Systemic Entrapment is relevant for all of those experiencing family violence - what have their detrimental experiences of systems, practice, organisations been in the past and have these experiences created barriers? If so, explore those experiences and connect with whānau and families with an awareness of what those barriers are.

By taking the time to explore barriers to engagement - which is entrapment, ensures you can build upon what has worked in the past with whānau and families and not repeat what didn't.

Systemic abuse is also a common means of predominant aggressors continuing to utilise acts of coercive control over their primary victims post relationship. Misue of court systems (litigation abuse). So, entrapment can occur post relationship and awareness of this is critical to uphold the mana of primary victims.