Domestic abuse charity Refuge will host their first ever Tech Safety Summit this September, a two-day event specifically created to address rising cases of complex technology-facilitated domestic abuse.
This form of domestic abuse, commonly referred to as ‘tech abuse’, involves a perpetrator using technology as a weapon to facilitate abuse against their partner or ex-partner. It could involve the use of stalkerware, tracking, or the misuse of AI; financial sabotage caused by economic abuse; creating and sharing ‘deepfakes’ or other forms of intimate image abuse, such as ‘revenge porn’; online abuse, including stalking and harassment; or the misuse of Smart Home Technology, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT), to rack up expensive heating bills, turn lights on and off, or even lock doors, trapping a survivor in their home.
It is something the charity has seen increasing and has prioritized addressing across their nationwide domestic abuse services. Refuge set up a specialist technology-facilitated and economic empowerment service in 2017, the only of its kind in England. Since then, cases have grown both in quantity and in complexity with Refuge reporting a rise of 258% in survivor cases involving technology since they began monitoring this in 2018.
Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment at Refuge, said:
“The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) recently stated that they are recording 3,000 incidents of violence against women and girls (VAWG) every day. We keep being asked why is domestic abuse at ‘epidemic’ levels? Why do cases seem to be getting more complex and what can be done? The critical threat of technology-facilitated abuse and online harm is one of biggest issues facing those looking to tackle this crime of violence against women and girls.
We must be clear; it is not the technology alone that is to blame. When used correctly and as intended technology can make vast improvements to our lives, but in the hands of a perpetrator of abuse, it becomes another tool in their arsenal to misuse and weaponise against a victim/survivor – with devastating effects. There are so many myths and misinformation about this form of crime that professionals must be educated on how to spot this rapidly increasing and complex form of domestic abuse so that we can support more survivors. That is why we are hosting this conference bringing together experts looking to work together to eradicate the harm caused by tech-facilitated abuse.”
The event, titled ‘Tech Safety Summit 2024: Leading the Change Against Technology-Facilitated Abuse’, will take place virtually on 24th and 25th September 2024. In addition to experts from Refuge, panel speakers will also include the Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Sophie Linden, Director of Cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation and Co-Founder of The Coalition Against Stalkerware Eva Galperin, as well as speakers from Meta, Google, Bumble, TikTok, Barclays, PayPlan, and many others.
About Refuge
Refuge supports thousands of survivors on any given day, and every two minutes someone looks to Refuge for help. Refuge runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which is the gateway to accessing specialist support across the country. More than one in four women in England and Wales experiences domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime, and on average every five days a woman is killed by a current or former partner.
Please signpost to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for free, confidential specialist support. Or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk to fill in a webform and request a safe time to be contacted or to access live chat (live chat available 3pm-10pm, Monday to Friday). For support with tech abuse visit refugetechsafety.org.
