Digital safety

Digital Abuse

Women's Aid is hearing from women using our services about various forms of digitally abuse where technology is being used by abusive boyfriends and ex-boyfriends to monitor and control women, particularly younger women.

Digital abuse of women includes online and technology abuse, online shaming and stalking and the non-consensual sharing of explicit images.

  • Women are harassed and monitored online, through mobile phones and texting.
  • Abusers often combine digital abuse with more traditional offline stalking tactics such as following, damaging property and abusive calls.
  • Abusive partners use the internet and social media to control and stalk women.
  • Women have personal details shared or lies spread about them and are impersonated by their abuser online.
  • A common form of digital abuse we hear about are damaging rumours being spread about women both personally and professionally and having sexually explicit images and videos that were taken with consent posted online without consent (‘revenge porn’).
  • Abusers have advertised their partners on escort sites without their consent or knowledge. Abusers have used specific spyware to monitor the woman, find out her online and bank account passwords and keep track of her whereabouts.

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