One in two Australians has experienced a form of technology-facilitated abuse. The impacts of technology abuse are most acute when used in a domestic and family violence situation. Using technology – mobile phones and other devices, social media, services such as email and banking – perpetrators harass, monitor, stalk, threaten and intimidate as part of their abusive behaviour.
Being subjected to constant harassment, monitoring and surveillance has detrimental impacts on physical and mental health, as well as social connection. The effects of technology-facilitated abuse can be compounded when multiple identities and layers of disadvantage are taken into account, such as digital literacy levels, lack of access to services, age, culture and disability.
Recent research commissioned by the eSafety Commissioner finds that First Nations Women experience multiple forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The forms of abuse that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience are the same types of experiences as other victims, but the impact is magnified by intergenerational trauma, the ongoing effects of colonisation, kinship structures and historical policies. Their location significantly impacts on their access to services to get help.
In this workshop, program leads will discuss the eSafety Women model that works with the frontline service sector and support participants to implement evidence-based strategies to address technology-facilitated abuse into practice.
This will include discussions of how place-based, culturally safe responses have worked in partnership with the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector, and the importance of self-determination of First Nations peoples. The presenters will also discuss how its research into the technology-facilitated abuse experiences of women with intellectual or cognitive disability has informed targeted initiatives with the disability service sector. Ultimately, the session aims to demonstrate how governments can work in ways that prioritise the expertise and decision-making of partner agencies.