Coronation Street's storyline surrounding 'Toxic' Tracy Barlow has been criticised by Northern Ireland's Women's Aid group. They claim the show isn't taking the issue of domestic violence seriously and is mocking victims. Annie Campbell, speaking to The Sun on behalf of the charity, said: "The current storyline undermines every woman who seeks help and support from those within her community." She also insisted the thought of someone lying about being a victim of domestic abuse was a "complete failure" to understand how harrowing such situations can be. Campbell added that if a woman's claims of abuse were met with disbelief, then it would be unlikely the woman would ever ask for help in the future. Producers of the soap responded to the complaints. In an interview with The Belfast Telegraph, they said the storyline was not primarily about domestic abuse. They asserted the aims of Coronation Street were to educate and inform, but first and foremost to entertain, and insisted the point of the storyline wasn't to portray Tracy, played by Kate Ford, as a victim. They insisted the plot demonstrated how manipulative and nasty the character could be. The complaints come just days after staff at Salford Council's domestic abuse prevention unit criticised the soap.
