Coercive control from the perspective of human trafficking
Working as Anti-Trafficking Expert at Crisis Center Monika I work closely with women from immigrant backgrounds who have experienced trafficking in human beings. Most of my clients are victims of forced marriage. Women typically come into our services at the Crisis Center due to experiences of intimate partner violence, and many have experiences of coercive control.
Various vulnerabilities may predispose individuals to becoming a victim of trafficking. Immigrants face many socio-economic challenges, uncertainty regarding their residence status and an absence of networks of family and friends in Finland. They may have little knowledge of Finnish laws and society, negative experiences with authorities and a lack of language skills. Victims are often dependent on their abusers, especially in cases where the trafficker is their employer or spouse and their residence permit is based on their employment or family ties.
Trafficking is a gendered phenomenon and gender inequality and the status of women and girls in society makes them vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation. Women and girls are disproportionately affected in cases of sexual exploitation and forced marriage. According to the semi-annual report by the National Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking, for the first time forced marriage was the most common form of trafficking amongst all new clients in the first six months of 2025. Women are also more likely to experience serious forms of psychological abuse, including coercive control, often a tool for abusers and traffickers to control and exploit their victims (Statistics Finland, 2022).
Examples of coercive control in typical client cases
Coercive control may be difficult to recognise as it is a pattern of behaviour, rather than a single incident, meant to harm, intimidate and control victims.
Many of our clients who are victims of honour-related violence have often experienced coercive control. This control often begins in childhood and rather than involving a single abuser, it is imposed by parents, their wider family and community. The abuse and coercive control may begin as early as in their early childhood, which are formative years. The abuse may become normalised to victims and recognising themselves as victims may consequently be difficult later in adulthood.
In cases of honour-related violence coercive control involves victims being heavily restricted in their daily lives, for example in how they dress, if they have access to a phone, the internet or social media or have access to their own money. Victims may be limited in their educational and career prospects. Often families limit the victims’ social life and relationships. In severe cases, victims may be subjected to forced marriage. Victims’ families and wider communities use coercive control if they deem the victim to be dishonouring themselves or their family. If victims disagree with their family and do not live by expectations, they may be subjected to distressing ultimatums, physical harm or even death threats.
Coercive control can also manifest itself as explicit rules that creates conditions of subservience and reliance on the abuser. A typical case involves an intimate partner relationship where the abuser rules over their spouse and rest of the family members. The spouse and children must follow the rules in fear of retaliation and violence. This type of abuse is considered a situation where the abuser coerces the victim into inhumane and degrading circumstances and can constitute as trafficking.
In cases like these the abuser, often the husband and father, heavily restricts the other family members’ daily life. He may demand that family members must ask for permission for things like leaving the home, eating and taking food from the kitchen, taking a shower or to watch television. Often abusers take complete control of finances and limit their spouse’s access to their own money. The abuser attempts to have complete control of the family. If rules are broken or a family member fails to ask for permission, the father will use psychological and physical violence in retaliation. The threat of violence quickly creates a climate of fear.
Violence and the threat of violence may become normalised and a part of daily life. Victims may blame themselves for not following rules and see fault in themselves and deserving of the abuser’s punishments. This type of coercive control is very manipulative and effective in holding victims in subordinance.
Authorities’ failure to recognise coercive control
In our experience, authorities do not recognise psychological violence in client cases and coercive control is often overlooked. Authorities may take note of indications of coercive control, however, but fail to recognise and acknowledge it as such. Authorities may describe the perpetrator and his behaviour towards the victim as “bossy” or even as “domineering”, but do not go further to probe and intervene. Currently, the law does not cover extreme psychological violence that severely limits a victim’s right to self-determination and independence. But why would authorities remark on it and intervene? Coercive control has not been criminalised.
From our experience if a case has involved psychological and physical violence, the physical violence is taken much more seriously and focused on, while the psychological violence dissipates into the background. Seldom does psychological violence lead to a criminal conviction.
The importance of criminalisation
MONIKA has advocated for the criminalisation of coercive control together with NGO partners for years and we are pleased that steps towards criminalisation have finally been taken. A report on the punishability of psychological violence and the case law concerning persecution in Finland was published in 2023 and proposed that coercive control be included in the Criminal Code as a new definition of an offence. Coercive control was also mentioned in the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government and in the newly published Action Plan for the Istanbul Convention for 2026-2033.
Criminalisation provides the tools and a mandate for authorities to not only recognise this form of abuse, but also to intervene in cases and guide victims to support services. It prevents re-victimisation and helps victims break free from exploitative situations. Criminalisation helps to ensure abusers are held criminally liable and importantly, it is a message from society that this type of abuse and exploitation is wrong.
In our client’s cases, when victims are still living in the abusive and exploitative situation and are being controlled by the abuser(s), it is also a major barrier in terms of their integration into society. Victims are restricted in their ability to grow their networks, attend language classes or apply for education and employment. Victims often experience severe mental health issues, depression and anxiety. This creates expenses for society, and the effects are long-term.
Children’s rights
In our experience children living and growing up in these kinds of abusive environments are often overlooked, even when we know the effects violence has on children and their development. The effects can be seen long into adulthood. Criminalisation of coercive control and severe psychological abuse helps to ensure that children affected by these situations are given the support and help they need. Perpetrators often use their children and have them report and spy on their ex-spouses engrossing them in the abuse. This can normalise this type of behaviour and skew the children’s understanding of healthy relationships and risk this type of behaviour in their own future relationships.
It is important to educate children and youth on coercive control as a severe form of psychological violence. We know that an alarming number of young men between the ages of 18-35 think that women are deserving of the violence they have experienced (NYTKIS ry, 2024). Criminalisation would send a strong message that coercive control is a serious form of abuse, it is not a part of healthy relationships and can be utilised in exploitation such as human trafficking. It would advance the rights of women and girls in society and protect their right to live without violence and the threat of violence.
Katariina Ainasoja
works at MONIKA – The Multicultural Women’s Association, Finland as Anti-Trafficking Expert. Her work focuses on advocating for women with an immigrant background who are victims of trafficking in human beings. MONIKA – The Multicultural Women’s Association, Finland at its Crisis Center Monika, offers low-threshold services for women from an immigrant background who have experienced violence.
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Sources:
Amnesty International Suomen osasto, Monika-Naiset liitto ja Ihmisoikeusliitto, Kohti pakottavan kontrollin kriminalisointia, link
The National Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking, Ihmiskaupan puolivuotiskatsaus 1-6/2025, link
NYTKIS ry, Ei kaikki miehet – mutta liian moni, link
Oikeusministeriö/ Tolvanen, Matti & Silvennoinen, Elisa (2023), Selvitys henkisen väkivallan rangaistavuudesta ja vainoamisen oikeuskäytännöstä Suomessa, link
Publications of the Finnish Government, A Strong and committed Finland, link
Seppänen, Elli & Kervinen, Elina, Istanbulin sopimuksen toimeenpanosuunnitelma vuosille 2026-2033, link
Pietiläinen, Marjut; Keski-Petäjä, Miina; Lipasti, Laura; Attila, Henna (2022), Parisuhdeväkivallan kokemukset yleisiä Suomessa : Sukupuolistunut väkivalta ja lähisuhdeväkivalta Suomessa 2021 -tutkimuksen ennakkotuloksia, link