Reproductive Coercion and Abuse: Supporting the Legal Assistance Sector

Overview

Reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA) is a violation of the fundamental human right to autonomy over one’s body and reproductive choices. As a pervasive form of family violence, RCA requires a robust response from all sectors working with victim-survivors. This includes the legal sector, where lawyers supporting victim-survivors play a critical role in ensuring their voices are heard, their rights are protected, and clear pathways to safety are established. 

Despite the significance of RCA, there is a lack of understanding regarding current legal responses to RCA across various criminal and civil legal frameworks. This raises critical questions: What does the legal response to RCA look like across different areas of law? How can legal practitioners be better equipped to support victim-survivors effectively in these contexts? And what additional measures are necessary from a justice perspective to comprehensively address this pressing human rights issue? 

In 2023, South-East Monash Legal Service Inc. (SMLS) was awarded a Victoria Law Foundation Knowledge Grant to explore and enhance legal practitioners’ competency in responding to RCA, as well as to identify effective strategies and interventions that ensure the legal assistance sector can support disclosures of RCA more effectively.