in brief: digital abuse on the rise in australia
Image: Wikimedia Commons
When we think about domestic abuse, we see images of women, physically and emotionally damaged, by their partners. But technology, specifically used to stalk and harass, is becoming more and more common in abusive relationships.
February is Teen Dating Violence awareness month, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline hopes to spread the word about abuse in all its forms – including digital.
President of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Katie Ray-Jones, has seen a significant increase in the number of girls contacting the hotline whose stories didn’t fit the usual stories of violence, but definitely constituted abuse.
Some reported that their partners threatened to post demeaning photos of them on social media if they didn’t do what they were told. Another common theme was boyfriends setting up fake Facebook accounts to see if their partners were interacting with the opposite sex without permission.
And it’s not just girls, but women of all ages being affected by digital abuse. Fiona McCormack, CEO of Domestic Violence Victoria, believes it to be a growing issue: ‘Technology assisted stalking and controlling is quite pervasive and certainly on the rise in Australia. Increasingly women are contacting support services with experiences of being tracked, stalked and harassed via text message, Facebook and other mediums. Women frequently report feeling bound to their abusers through technology, as though they can’t get away.’
Ms McCormack reports that one of the most common themes is tracking a partner’s movements through GPS. But you don’t need a smartphone to digitally abuse someone. Abusive messages and constant phone calls can be just as distressing as any other form of domestic abuse.
Just because it’s online, or over the phone, it shouldn’t be dismissed. Digital abuse is yet another way of trying to control a person, and like verbal and physical abuse, can have lasting effects on the victim.
Ms McCormack says that it’s important to keep records of abusive messages, and to uphold standards online. If you see someone digitally abusing another, tell someone. Don’t sit by and watch.
