For those who ask why someone might get involved - and stay - in a violent relationship, the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Domestic and family violence rarely happens out of nowhere. It is the result of slow, steady acts of oppression and control. A violent relationship rarely starts the way it ends.

In the first episode of There’s No Place Like Home, we introduce you to Laura*. When Laura* became involved with her perpetrator, she was intoxicated by him. She describes the early stages of their relationship as “very teenage, 90s, romantic comedy”. He was thoughtful, Laura* says. Kind. He paid attention to Laura* in a way that her previous partners hadn’t.

But ever so slowly, over time, the nature and tenor of their love story changed… And Laura* moved into a women’s refuge, in fear of her life.

This episode explores violence as a complex web of activity. It looks beyond cuts and bruises to the psychological nature of Domestic and family violence. With the help of experts, advocates, practitioners - and of course Laura* herself - we’ll seek to answer the question: How does a relationship go from passion and presents, to knowing your very existence is under threat?

• Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or Google Play
• Visit the official website
• Keep up with @Futurewomen on Instagram and Twitter and stay in touch with hashtag #TNPLH
• More information on Commbank’s Next Chapter
• Join Future Women

There’s No Place Like Home is a podcast by Future Women, made in collaboration with CommBank, which is supporting long-term financial independence for victim-survivors through CommBank Next Chapter.

Content note: This podcast includes descriptions of domestic and family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000.

*We have used a pseudonym to protect Laura*’s identity.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geraldine’s mum Anne didn’t like Ted* from the beginning. But Anne found it hard to put her finger on exactly what bothered her about him. That’s because Ted’s behaviour was a complex web of expectation, pressure and manipulation, more commonly referred to as coercive control.

Coercive control is a pattern of conduct employed by abusers. This is violence that happens slowly. It doesn’t come out of nothing. It is a gradual building of cruel, threatening and intimidating behaviours. Together these subtle acts combine to strip away the victim’s sense of self worth, their loving relationships and their personal and financial freedoms.

Some Australian state governments are exploring ways to make coercive control a crime. But it’s tricky. How do you define violence that is so hard to prove? The impact of physical violence is so much easier to measure.

In this episode of There’s No Place Like Home we introduce you to Geraldine and unpack the debate on whether coercive control should be a crime. A question on which key groups in the women’s safety sector are divided. You’ll hear experts from both sides - with a particular focus on how this issue affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

With the help of experts, advocates, practitioners - and of course Geraldine herself - we’ll answer the question: Would criminalising coercive control even make a difference?

• Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or Google Play
• Visit the official website
• Keep up with @Futurewomen on Instagram and Twitter and stay in touch with hashtag #TNPLH
• More information on Commbank’s Next Chapter
• Join Future Women

There’s No Place Like Home is a podcast by Future Women, made in collaboration with CommBank which is supporting long-term financial independence for victim-survivors through CommBank Next Chapter.

Content note: This podcast includes descriptions of domestic and family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000.

*Not his real name.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May* felt safer sleeping in her car, with a brand new baby girl, than she did in her home. With no money, no access to credit and no support service that would take her - the car was also her only option after escaping a violent relationship.

Domestic and family violence is the main reason that women seek the support of homeless shelters and the primary cause of homelessness amongst kids. In Victoria, where May lives, there are nearly 50,000 people on public housing waiting lists. When someone leaves a violent relationship and needs somewhere to stay, they are faced with a sector that’s struggling to cope.

In the latest episode of Future Women’s podcast There’s No Place Like Home, you’ll hear May describe her experience of leaving a violent relationship and ending up homeless. You’ll hear from experts who lament the lack of affordable housing.

Having a safe home is a human right. It’s also a real foundation of the social order our society is built on. The home is where we entertain our friends, and where we spend time with our families and rest, yes. But you also need a home address to apply for a car loan, or to pay your phone bill, or to enrol your children in school or register for a Medicare card.

Getting back on your feet once homeless, is much more difficult than you might imagine.

With the help of experts, advocates, practitioners - and of course May* herself - in this episode we implore our audience: Stop asking why a victim doesn’t leave a violent relationship, and start asking ‘where would they go?’

• Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or Google Play
• Visit the official website
• Keep up with @Futurewomen on Instagram and Twitter and stay in touch with hashtag #TNPLH
• More information on Commbank’s Next Chapter
• Join Future Women

There’s No Place Like Home is a podcast by Future Women, made in collaboration with CommBank which is supporting long-term financial independence for victim-survivors through CommBank Next Chapter.

Content note: This podcast includes descriptions of domestic and family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000.

*We have used a pseudonym to protect May’s identity.

Support the show: https://futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.