Non-Domestic Coercive Control : P. A. G. E., Triggered Social Judgement, Female Perpetrator Dynamics, and Neutralisation of Existing Offences in Victoria

Recent reforms recognising coercive control within domestic violence frameworks represent a significant advance in Australian law. However, the continued tethering of coercive control to domestic or intimate relationships obscures a substantial category of harm: non-domestic coercive control enacted through social ecosystems rather than direct interpersonal violence. This paper argues that coercive control frequently operates via distributed actors who function as accessories to harm by facilitating surveillance, reputational interference, and psychological pressure under the guise of concern, care, or community protection.The paper introduces P.A.G.E. (Pre-judgement Activation of Group Ecosystems) to explain how social judgement is deliberately triggered prior to crime recognition, activating third parties and neutralising otherwise prosecutable conduct under Victorian law. Particular attention is given to female-perpetrated ecosystem coercion, which is routinely obscured by blanket vulnerability assumptions and gendered expectations of care.It is argued that coercive mechanisms, triggers, escalation pathways, and obsession are structurally identical across gender and intimacy contexts, differing only in coding and concealment. The paper concludes that recognising P.A.G.E. and formally naming accessory roles is a necessary preventative legal intervention. Without such recognition, coercive control remains structurally invisible, escalation proceeds unchecked, and serious psychological harm including lethality risk persists.