ONE in five young people in Ireland have never heard of coercive control, according to new research from Women's Aid.
The organisation will today launch a new website, toointoyou.ie, which aims to teach young people about intimate relationship abuse and provide support to women facing it.
In addition, a new new public awareness campaign, #TooIntoYou, hopes to raise awareness of the red flags in an unhealthy relationship.
According to research carried out by Women's Aid and Allianz, just over one in five 18-24-year-olds in Ireland have never heard the term coercive control before. Furthermore, 23 per cent of the age group believe that coercive control is not a criminal offence in Ireland, even though it has been a crime since January 2019.
Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said: "It is very concerning that many young people are not aware of coercive control considering the prevalence of relationship abuse and coercive control against young women in Ireland.
"It can be incredibly damaging to young women’s emotional and physical well-being, and can result in them giving up work or education and becoming completely isolated from friends and family," she said.
"It deprives you of your freedom and independence, and reduces your ability to move freely in your life and make decisions for yourself."
