FROM UNDERSTANDING TO ACTION
Understanding the pattern can help you look ahead.
If you can recognise a tactic, you can find ways to respond to it. If you can understand the pattern of abuse it may form part of, you may also be able to consider what else could arise, giving you an opportunity, where possible, to act before another tactic is used.201, 528
The measures that can be considered are known as countermeasures. They are actions that may help reduce the opportunity for a tactic to succeed, protect what could be affected or limit further harm after it has occurred.411, 531, 532
Measures considered before a tactic is used are known as Preventative Countermeasures.
Measures considered after it has been used are Responsive Countermeasures.
This creates two opportunities to act: preparing for tactics that could occur and responding to tactics that have already been used.
Harbour Lights Community brings together information about measures that have been used at both points.
Why this matters
- Recognise the pattern
- Consider what else may arise
- Take action, before or after a tactic occurs
FROM RECOGNITION TO ACTION
There are two times you can take action
When facing tactics used against you by a former partner, countermeasures can be considered either before a tactic occurs or after it has already been used.411, 531, 532
Measures considered beforehand are known as preventative countermeasures.
Measures considered afterwards are known as responsive countermeasures.
Preventative Countermeasures
What it is
A measure considered in anticipation of a tactic that may occur.
When
Before the tactic has been used.
Potential benefits
- More time to prepare
- May reduce the opportunity for the tactic
- May protect what could be targeted
- Can make responding easier if it occurs
Trade-offs
- The tactic may never happen
- Preparation can take time, energy or resources
- It may not prevent the tactic
Tactic
What it is
A method used to pursue a particular objective.
When
It may occur at any time, in any order or frequency.
Responsive Countermeasures
What it is
A measure considered in response to a tactic that has occurred.
When
After the tactic has been used.
Potential benefits
- May limit further impact
- Can help protect what remains at risk
- Can preserve evidence of what happened
- May reduce the risk of repetition
Trade-offs
- The tactic has already occurred
- Some effects may not be reversible
- Responding can require time, energy or resources
WHY TIMING MATTERS
Preparing can help. But it also has a cost.
Before a tactic occurs, it may be possible to take preventative measures. Depending on the tactic you are looking to defend against, you may be able to reduce its impact or prevent it from occurring altogether. Preparing can help protect what you already have, preserving access to funds, relationships, your job or other things that could be targeted.411, 531, 532
After a tactic has occurred, the objectives and actions are usually different. The immediate response may need to be to limit further harm, protect what remains at risk, preserve evidence or begin rebuilding stability. The impacts of some tactics can be difficult to reverse, and responding may require additional time, administrative work, professional assistance or financial resources.201, 411, 528
Preparing in advance can involve trade-offs.
Putting defensive measures in place can take time, energy or money, and the tactic you are preparing for may never occur. Trying to prepare for every tactic that could possibly occur could therefore use resources that are needed elsewhere. Research on safety planning supports an individualised approach in which risks, priorities and personal circumstances are considered when deciding which actions to take.531, 532, 533, 534
Deciding what may be worth preparing for
Because preparing takes time, effort and sometimes money, deciding where to use those resources matters. Rather than trying to prepare for every tactic that could occur, you can consider which preventative countermeasures may be worth the investment by weighing what could happen if you don't prepare against what preparation would require.531, 532, 533, 534
This might mean asking:
- What could be affected?
- How serious could the consequences be?
- How difficult might the damage be to put right?
- What would preparing require in time, money or effort?
- Could taking the countermeasure create other difficulties or risks?
Assessing potential risk alongside a woman's own priorities, circumstances and available resources is consistent with evidence-based approaches to individualised safety planning and decision support.531, 532, 533, 534
Where the potential consequences are substantial or difficult to reverse, the time and resources involved in preparing may be worth the investment. In other circumstances, you may decide those resources are better used elsewhere.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Two ways to explore the countermeasures
The preventative and responsive countermeasures brought together by Harbour Lights are drawn from publicly available research and guidance, professional practice and the experiences of women who have used them.
There are two ways to explore this information: you can use the Reference Library to find and research the publicly available source material yourself, or use the Harbour Lights Guides, where relevant information has already been brought together and organised around the tactics you may be facing.
REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the publicly available source material
The Reference Library identifies research, guidance and other publicly available sources where you can find information about the countermeasures, giving you a more focused place to start your own research.
Explore the Reference Library
HARBOUR LIGHTS GUIDES
Explore guidance organised around the tactics you may be facing
The Guides bring together information about the tactics associated with each type of abuse, with relevant preventative and responsive countermeasures organised in one place.
Explore the Guides