Paybacks. Silent Treatment. Isolation. Threats. Humiliation. Sometimes even physical abuse. These are the weapons of coercive control, a strategy used by some people against their intimate partners. A relationship that should involve loving support ends up as a trap designed for domination. Although coercive control can show up in a variety of relationships, the most common is one in which a man uses coercive control against his wife or girlfriend. However, people of any gender and orientation(link is external)can be victims or victimizers.
People subject to coercive control grow anxious and afraid. Coercive control strips away their independence, sense of self, and basic rights, such as the right to make decisions about their own time, friends, and appearance.
Many men who use coercive control also abuse partners physically or sexually, but some use coercive control without physical violence. Outsiders may not be able to see the signs of coercive control in a couple; those who use it are often quite charming.
Victims of coercive control often feel like hostages. Over time, being grilled, criticized, stalked, and monitored may seem routine and inescapable. Victims often blame themselves as they feel despairing and disoriented. Itās easy for a person in this position to lose confidence and accept a partnerās view of reality. They may feel confused as they are told again and again that they themselves have triggered their partnerās behaviors by doing something āwrong.ā At the same time, to keep the peace, victims may suppress their own desires, silence their voices, and detach from loved ones. Unfortunately, victims often do not see the connection between their partnerās control and their own isolation until time has passed. Losing self-confidence and close relationships at the same time can be paralyzing.
People who get caught in the web of a controlling person are no different from others. They just have the bad luck to become involved with an abuser at a time when they are especially vulnerable. Typically, an abuser will lavish attention on a woman at the beginning of the relationship. Over time, he becomes jealous, monitors her whereabouts, and restricts her interactions with others. His partner thinks the original āhelpful manā is the ārealā him, and if she does things right, heāll go back to being wonderful again. At times he may indeed act loving, if this seems like the best way to maintain his control. Loving acts become another controlling tactic.
Once a controlling man has caught a woman in his web, he will do everything he can to prolong the relationship. Sometimes he will threaten, stalk, assault, or even murder her if she leaves or he suspects sheās trying to leave. For this reason, even if there is no physical violence it is important for a person who is being controlled to contact a domestic violence agency and devise a safety plan.
Only a couple of decades ago, society named and recognized the problems of sexual harassment, dating violence, marital rape, and stalking. Coercive control needs to be similarly named and recognized, so we can begin to address it. We all need to learn more, so we can offer the right kinds of support(link is external) and not allow victims to become isolated.
* If you donāt like the word āvictim,ā feel free to substitute āsurvivorā or another term that you prefer.
Now realising that I too have been grouped as part of the ābad applesā, perhaps if a collective group with other BadApples could be joined-or-started! Through continuing amounts of surviving-victims coming forward, the āoccasionalā is growing to wider audiences thereāll be less āpots calling kettles blackā + more merging of a multi-levelled society.
Pot calling kettle black, Google images.
Now realising that I too have been grouped as one of the ābad applesā, perhaps if a collective group with other BadApples could be joined-or-started! Through continuing amounts of surviving-victims coming forward, the āoccasionalā is growing to wider audiences thereāll be less āpots calling kettles blackā + more merging of a multi-levelled sharing. Probably how our nation appears in front of the camera!
āCognitive dissonanceā, āmonopolisedā, āexcludedā, ānegative attitudeā & āvictim-blamingā were included in a recent therapy appt. Following which, another surviving-victim began having an early-stage discussion of what was involved in both finding out more + preparing for meets with knowmore! Karma, Murphyās luck, or pieces of reality fitting together?
NOTE following a recent reposting of our recent MindControl article, there have been some interested views from our sister-site (SDBC_RC). Below is a snapshot, with details of the 10 Habits following.
Matt Duczeminski A passionate writer who shares lifestlye tips on Lifehack
It can be hard to detect whether someone is manipulative upon first meeting them. Unfortunately, their selfish nature often goes unnoticed until youāve become too involved in their lives to simply cut and run. Once theyāve gotten close to you, these Machiavellian schemers will do anything it takes to keep you around, all for the sake of using you in one way or another. Perhaps the worst part of being stuck in a manipulative friendship is it makes you doubt the genuineness of others, which can mean constantly second-guessing other relationships.
If you have a āfriendā who exhibits the following traits, you should try to cut them out of your life as soon as possible.
1. They play innocent
Manipulators have a way of playing around with the truth to portray themselves as the victim. I once had a āfriendā who would regularly make me feel bad for not spotting him five bucks to buy a pack of cigarettesāeven though I detest smoking. Looking back on those days, I realize I was being used. He made me feel like a bad friend for not lending him money to support a disgusting habit, when in actuality he was the bad friend for even asking for the money in the first place.
2. They play dumb
Manipulative people will drain the energy of everyone around them by looking to their friends for help, only to go ahead and do whatever they want anyway. When their friends call them out on it, theyāll be ready with excuse after excuse. āItās my life, Iāll do what I want,ā or āLet me make my own mistakes.ā Thatās totally fine if thatās how they choose to live, but they shouldnāt solicit advice if they donāt want to hear the truth. Itās a waste of the other personās time and energy, and can damage their confidence in the value of the advice they give.
3. They rationalize their behavior
Along with not taking their friendsā advice, manipulative people make their negative behavior seem like the only option. They make it seem to you that they made the right decision, even though you know better from an objective point of view. They often seek to āwinā arguments, rather than coming to a consensus with the other party. The implication here is that they werenāt truly listening to what you had to say at all. They were just waiting for you to finish so they could offer a rebuttal, regardless of how sound your advice was.
4. They change the subject often
Since manipulative people only really care about themselves, they ultimately will steer conversation toward their own needs any chance they get. Theyāll do this especially when they know theyāre wrong about something but donāt want to admit it. So, instead of validating the other personās opinion, theyāll just change the subject to something innocuous or otherwise unrelated to the previous topic. This helps them avoid the truth in a roundabout way thatās fairly unnoticeable to others.
5. They tell half-truths
Manipulative people tend to mold the truth to their advantage. Theyāll often hide information that they know will expose them as liars, acting as if this is somehow better than telling a straight-out lie. Manipulators approach all interactions as if theyāre in a court of law, where what they say can be used against them. By acting in this way, they can honestly say āI never said that.ā Yes, you technically never did say that, but the way you skirted the truth wasnāt exactly right.
6. They induce guilt
Along with claiming innocence, manipulative people also make others feel guilty. There may be times in relationships where youāll find you simply donāt have the time or energy to deal with certain situations, and the manipulative person will make you feel like youāre ānot there for him.ā They may even get you to put your own well-being on the back-burner so theyāll have somebody to complain to and seek advice from (advice which they may not heed, anyway).
7. They insult others
Manipulators are rude and abrasive by nature. All true friends can feel comfortable messing with each other by poking fun innocuously, but manipulative people go way overboard with the jabs and insults. They do this in social situations to inconspicuously undermine others and establish a sense of dominance. Manipulators never got over that high-school mentality, where it was ācoolā to make fun of others and make them feel small by using nothing but their words.
8. They bully others
Manipulative people are bullies. This goes beyond insults and often involves alienation and the spreading of rumors. Again, this is childish behavior, but it is often exhibited by immature, manipulative adults. Actions such as ignoring certain people in a group, not letting them voice their opinions, or leaving them behind are some of the more āadultā ways to bully. Manipulators will use these methods to establish dominance. In truth, these people are incredibly self-conscious and have low self-esteem, and will hurt anyone around them in order to feel better about themselves.
9. They minimize their behavior
Manipulators make it seem like their words and deeds are ānot that big a deal.ā Ironically, most of the time itās them who has made a big deal about things. That is, until they hear something they donāt like and turn the tables on the other party. They clearly donāt show any empathy for the people who have spent valuable time and energy trying to help them, and instead shift the blame onto everyone else. They know they have a problem, but they make it seem like itās the world thatās out to get them and not the other way around.
10. They blame others
As I said, manipulators shift blame constantly. They skate through life without taking any sort of responsibility for their actions. They either flat out donāt admit they did anything wrong, or they have some explanation to make their actions sound reasonable given the circumstances. Manipulative people simply donāt live by any code of ethics, and when it catches up with them, theyāll point the finger anywhere else except for at themselves.
Since 26th Oct 20, there has been a jump in visitors to our RCbbc Blog. Most of these were concerning āknown CSA predatorsā, āeliteā/āprivate schoolsā and āprevious chargesā/ācurrent trialsā. The inclusion of another āBrandā¢ā of GPS Schools (Catholic) had also been a major trigger to these jumps. While following a similar pattern of how Journalistic-identified programs had unveiled CSA instances, upwards from southern states; RCbbc has āback-tracedā these same trails in reverse (BBC-GPS-NSW).
Photographic portion of Sydney Opera House. (bbc cultural article, 2014)
Although identification of these trails were discussed during our early days (2013-15), it is still breathtaking when truths are realised. Unfortunately, those who experienced any of Butchās (AK Buchanan, BBC, St Paulās & IGS) classes may remember some of AAGPS Schools being mentioned, in his previous exploits (SHORE, Scots College et al). Much more is awaiting to become evident, so stay tuned.
Current GPS image, denoting IGS (2020)
BBCās inclusion in the Royal Commissionās eventual National Redress Scheme, is administered via the PMSA (Presbyterian Methodist Schools Association). Each of the other stated Private Schools should be administered by their similar authorities. Relevant details of each of these institutions is contained in the following References, which should provide relevant authorities detail upon request.
AAGPS. (2020). Athletic Association of The Great Public Schools of NSW.http://aagps.nsw.edu.au
Pedophiles trade Child Porn through Dropbox Links on Instagram
The Atlantic first reported that teenagers stumbled upon a network of Instagram accounts that were sharing Dropbox links of child porn (Atlantic article). The way it worked is that pedophiles were using certain hashtags on images that advertised how to get in touch. Teens discovered this and proceeded to spam the offending hashtags with hundreds of memes, making it difficult for pedophiles to find each other and trade illegal content.
Brilliant. Kids defending other kids!
And, although it was an admirable diversion, unfortunately these criminals are resourceful. And, with over a billion monthly users, itās impossible for Instagram to keep pace with nefarious activity.
Maybe your kid already uses Instagram. Great! Iām not saying you need to rip it away. In fact, that is often counterproductive. Instead, we hope this post will help you better understand that the way the app is designed creates risks.
Because remember, not all kids using Instagram end up being groomed and abused.
But, if grooming and child exploitation are easy on the app, my guess if you would want to know. Even CNN recently reported that Instagram is the #1 app for child grooming.
If your son or daughter receives a private, DM (direct message) from a stranger, does he/she know how to respond? Itās easier to do than you think. Remember, wherever the kids are is where the predators are.
We simply want this post to flash a light in dark places. Since Appleās App Store Descriptiondoesnāt say anything about predatory activity, itās our job to tell the truth.
**Warning. Some of the screenshots you will see in this post are not safe for work (NSFW) and include some of the most disturbing content weāve ever encountered during over four years of researching social media. Nothing has been censored.
Four Grooming Paths on Instagram ā Comments, Hashtags, Likes, and DMs
If Instagram leadership reads this post, theyāll try really hard to point to their community guidelines and their reporting channels, saying that they donāt allow predatory activity. But we would argue that the very way in which Instagram is designed creates grooming pathways. In other words ā no amount of moderation or guidelines can change Instagramās features. Allow us to explain.
Oh, and one more thing. Many parents who read this might think, āmy child has a private account, so theyāre fine.ā Thatās a common, but incorrect conclusion. None of the four feature issues we discuss below are impacted in any way by the privacy of an account. Anyone, whether private or not, can post comments and search hashtags, and anyone can be seen through the like count and sent a message via DM.
Pedophiles exploit Instagramās comments to network with each other and fish for victims.
Within the comments, pedophiles find other pedophiles and peddle their illegal and disgusting content with each other. Here are a few samples from an endless number of comments (warning ā these comments are extremely disturbing)
You also see comments that go directly at young people as a form of āfishingā for victims, waiting for a kid to bite.
Pedophiles exploit Instagramās hashtags to drop horrible content into good, clean places.
Almost all social media platforms use #hashtags. Think of them as a card catalogue for social media content ā a way to categorize millions and millions of images into groups so that I can find exactly what Iām looking for. We love them! Some people use them as a sort of witty, second language.
But the problem is that they can be used by anyone.
Letās say for a minute that Iām a teen girl whoās interested in modeling. Or cheerleading. And my mom even made me have a private Instagram account (good job, mom!).
I take a photo at the beach with my friends, and I attach the hashtags #teen #teengirl #teenmodel #snapchat. Fabulous. Later on, with my girlfriends, Iām thumbing through the #teenmodel and #snapchat hashtags, and I see this:
See, any predator can attach #teenmodel and #snapchat to their photo. This allows that photo to show up in front of millions of teen girls, thumbing through #snapchat photos, hoping one will ābite.ā
Notice in the one photo how part of the āsellā is to convince a girl to join him in Snapchat, which is a very secure environment for secretive activity. After all, >75% of teens have Instagram and >76% (AP Article) of teens have Snapchat, so thereās a good chance that if a kid has one, then they probably have the other.
In other words, #hashtags allow predators to hover over good places like a drone and drop their smut whenever they want. Pay attention to those screenshots ā thereās nothing pornographic about them. Thereās no swear words. No use of āsex.ā But, the very nature of #hashtags as a feature create this grooming path.
And if someone reports the ādaddyā posts you see above and Instagram takes them down, no problem. Since Instagram doesnāt require any identity verification, including birthday, real email, credit card, NOTHING, a predator can create another fake account in seconds. This is yet another huge design flaw that creates a situation where pedophiles donāt mind taking great risks and getting shut down ā their attitude is, āIāll just start over.ā
[Note: we experienced this with ādaddy,ā who we reported multiple times. His account would be shut down, and then he popped up with a slightly different username seconds later, posting the same horrifying images of him masturbating and asking kids to connect with him ālive.ā]
Predators exploit Instagramās likes (the heart) to identify potential victims.
Going back to our #teenmodel example, if you click on one photo, you might find that it has hundreds of likes (hearts) similar to the photo of the young boy below (sorry, but if you donāt want your photo in blog posts, then keep your account private).
Predators can click on the likes and see everyone who has liked this photo. Everyone. Even if they have a private account. From that list, a predator can identify someone young who looks interesting and send him/her a direct message (DM) ā weāll explain the whole DM feature in more detail next. But, note how the ālikesā feature creates a target audience for sexual predators. This is shown in the image below.
Again, itās a design flaw. The very nature of the likes feature creates a pool of young people for predators to target (to Instagramās credit, they are considering dropping the ālikeā count attached to photos, but so far, this has only been speculated).
Which leads us to DMs. Direct Messages.
Pedophiles exploit Instagram DMs (direct messages) to groom kids. And theyāre doing it very successfully.
Two weeks ago, PYE created a test Instagram account. This account was clearly for a young girl, who posted two selfies on the first day of existence. Tagged on these photos were hashtags #teen, #teengirl, #teenmodel. This account went out and ālikedā a few photos with similar hashtags and followed accounts that were like mine.
Not much happened for the first six days of the account.
Then, one week later, something in Instagramās algorithm triggered. It was as if some combination of the test accountās activity unleashed a tsunami of DM activity that hasnāt let up over the past four days, averaging over 10 DMs per day. The screenshots below show some of the activity, including a very creative porn link. Note ā PYE is the one who scribbled out the man masturbating in the image below. The photo was sent to our test account as a DM, completely exposed.
Can Instagram Fix their Predator Problem?
Maybe. In order to clean up the issues above, Instagram would have to significantly alter numerous, core features. If Instagram were to create a āSafe Mode,ā it might have to:
Remove the ability to DM to or with anyone who isnāt an approved follower.
Allow parents to create a whitelisted set of contacts. That means the child can ONLY like, comment, and DM with people who are on the whitelist.
Remove the ability to add hashtags.
I just donāt foresee Instagram making those changes.
What Can Parents do About the Instagram Pedophile Problem?
1. If your kid uses social media, including Instagram, be curious and involved. Remember, not every kid misuses these platforms. But, if you know the risks, then get involved and talk openly with your children about how theyāre using the app.
2. Use monitoring tools like Bark (7-days free!) and Covenant Eyes (30-days free!) to monitor their smartphone social media and texting activity. Bark actually monitors images within the app for appropriateness and alerts parents when kids venture into inappropriate images.
3. Talk to your kids specifically about direct messages and give them guidance for what to do if someone tricky reaches out to them.
4. Visit our FixAppRatings.com campaign and push for change. Letās embrace the reality that given Instagramās current feature set, that itās a 17+ app. Itās an app created by adults and for adults. Will you visit your state representative this month to share your concerns? Show him/her our draft #fixappratings resolution.
The only way anything will change with big tech companies is if the government does something. Weāre convinced of it.
Parents, we love BARK and how it helps parents AND kids. Hereās a real storyā¦
āWe knew our son was having some issues with school and in his social circle but he doesnāt talk to us about anythingā¦he googled āWhat is it called when thereās a war going on inside your brain?āā¦The fact that he used the word āwarā prompted BARK to mark it as violenceā¦Call it depression or anxiety or regular mood swings teens experience, he wasnāt opening up to anyone about this and never mentioned itā¦I have a psych evaluation setup for him in a few days and I just have to say how grateful I am that BARK caught this. I would otherwise have no idea that this was even an issue for him and we can now get some professional help to ensure that it doesnāt become a true problem.ā
Parents, do you want a better idea of what your kids are doing on social media? What about the comments on your daughterās Instagram photos? Or, iMessage activity on your sonās iPhone? Then, look no further than Bark. You can start a 7-day free trial today.
*Note ā links in this post might connect to affiliates who we know and trust. We might earn a small commission if you decide to purchase their services. This costs you nothing! We only recommend what weāve tested on our own families. Enjoy!
I love life. Seriously! Each. Day. A. Gift. Former CPA, business advisor, youth pastor, development director. Manage marketing efforts for Covenant Eyes and CEO of PYE. God shares wild ideas with me about life while I run. I have a relentless drive to help families use technology well.
