Latest news with #DomesticAbuseAct2021
ITV News
07-05-2025
- ITV News
Tech abuse: What is digital coercive control and why is it increasing?
Katie Templeton-Knight has been exploring the issue of technology-facilitated abuse for ITV News. You may find some of the details in this report distressing. A woman from north Cumbria has spoken anonymously to ITV News, describing the years of technology-facilitated abuse and sexual violence she faced by a former partner. Charities warn that coercive control through technology is increasing and as technology evolves, it's becoming easier for perpetrators to commit these types of crimes. A woman we are calling Sarah told ITV News that initially she thought it was "sweet" and "loving" that her former partner wanted to know where she was all the time. However, she soon started to realise that something much more sinister was happening. He would frequently turn up in places she was, which he would claim was coincidental. He also knew information about her that she had only told close friends. Sarah did not know this until much later, but by going through her phone when she was not looking, he found her passwords, photos and private messages. After discovering the password to her iCloud, he logged on through his own phone, which allowed him to track her every move. He could see who she was talking to, what she was booking online and how much money she was spending. He started to control who she was allowed to text and later installed spyware apps on her phone. When she tried to leave the relationship, he threatened to publish her private photos and messages on social media. Following years of abuse, she went to the police, and the perpetrator received a lengthy prison sentence. What is digital coercive control? Digital coercive control refers to when technology is weaponised by a perpetrator so that they can control, harass or intimidate their partner. It is a type of technology-facilitated domestic abuse or 'tech abuse'. Examples of this can include restricting someone's access to their devices, cyberstalking, using social media, hidden cameras, or even smart home devices like thermostats or speakers. Coercive control has been a crime since 2015, but it wasn't until the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 that the definition was expanded to include coercive control through technology. The Online Safety Bill, passed in 2023, also identified controlling and coercive behaviour as a 'priority offence', which means tech companies need to both prevent and remove coercive control content from their sites. However, this is difficult to enforce when it takes place away from social media platforms, including over text. To meet rising demand, Refuge set up a specialist technology-facilitated abuse service in 2017. Between the first year of service to 2024, they've seen a 207% increase in referrals. But they say this could be just the tip of the iceberg, as there's limited research done into just how common this issue is. How the police investigate these crimes: A report by Liverpool University looked at several police forces in the North of England, including Cumbria, Merseyside and Durham. The report found that even when coercive control was suspected, officers could not easily distinguish it from behaviour that was not abusive. For example, sending lots of messages in the early days of a relationship could be the sign of excitement and mutual attraction, or it could indicate monitoring. The report also found that when gathering evidence of these crimes, basic but essential information was missing. This included telephone numbers, profile names and IDs, and screenshots which could have been used as initial evidence or to identify the correct social media profile. Police forces say that they've made changes to address these concerns. For example, in the last year, Cumbria Police has increased the number of specialist investigators looking specifically at technology-related crimes. The force has also developed a 'digital toolkit' to provide training and resources on how to spot digital coercive control. Over the past few years, Cumbria Police has seized surveillance devices and hidden cameras disguised as everyday items such as vanity mirrors or USB sticks disguised as car keys. How can you protect yourself? One of the most troubling aspects of this type of abuse is that some people do not realise that it is happening to them. Perpetrators can download spyware and surveillance apps onto their partner's phones without their knowledge, especially if the perpetrator is controlling their partner's access to their phone. However, there is support and advice available through any of the resources below if you believe you might be at risk. Domestic Abuse Advice and Support: Refuge Refuge supports more than 6,000 clients on any one day, helping them rebuild their lives and overcome many different forms of violence and abuse. They have a step-by-step guide online as well as an interactive tool about how to secure your phone if you suspect technology-facilitated abuse is happening to you. If you, or someone you care about, is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call The National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. The Revenge Porn Helpline The Revenge Porn Helpline supports all adult victims of intimate image abuse living in the UK. This includes those who have had private sexual images shared without consent, threatened to be shared without consent, or taken without consent. We also provide advice and information to those targeted by sextortion and webcam blackmail. If you have been a victim of intimate image abuse, a helpline practitioner can give you advice and support. The number is 0345 6000 459. Or you can send an email or online live chat. Women's Aid Women's Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. They have been at the forefront of shaping and coordinating responses to domestic violence and abuse through practice for more than 45 years. Freedom Project The Freedom Project is a free domestic abuse charity based in West Cumbria, working with victims, perpetrators and children suffering from trauma and effects of domestic and sexual abuse. ManKind: The Mankind Initiative is the principal, expert and specialist charity in the UK focussing on male victims of domestic abuse. The charity collaborates and works in close partnership with other organisations and practitioners to support these victims too. It was the first in Great Britain to support male victims.
Pembrokeshire Herald
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Are you eligible for help with further education costs?
Bridgend Council says pupils were never taught it was okay to choke during sex THE WELSH CONSERVATIVE have intensified pressure on Bridgend County Borough Council over reports that pupils were taught about 'sexual choking' during PSHE lessons—despite the council's insistence that the claims are based on outdated and inaccurate materials. Shadow Education Cabinet Secretary Natasha Asghar MS has now written to the leader of the council requesting copies of both the original and updated versions of a PowerPoint presentation developed by domestic abuse charity ASSIA, which was used during a single session in one Bridgend school in 2024. Ms Asghar said: 'I remain appalled that anyone involved in educating our children would consider including references to such a dangerous and risky act in educational materials. 'There appears to have been no attempt to explain the risks associated with choking, but merely a focus on ensuring the act is consensual. The leadership of Bridgend Council claims they requested that this presentation be altered before being shown to pupils. However, this does not disguise the fact that those responsible for creating the content initially deemed it appropriate. 'I am requesting both versions of the presentation be made available to me, and I am calling on Bridgend Council to reconsider their relationship with ASSIA. It is clear that by even considering the inclusion of such shocking content, their values do not align with what most decent people would reasonably expect to be taught in our schools.' Council: Claims based on misinformation Bridgend County Borough Council has pushed back strongly against what it calls 'a classic example of how misinformation can generate headlines.' It insists that pupils were not taught to accept dangerous or illegal sexual behaviour. The council says the slide that referenced choking with consent was part of a draft presentation that was never shown in schools. That content, they say, was deleted or corrected prior to delivery, and the final version made it clear that non-fatal strangulation is a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Developed in response to real questions from older pupils, the presentation was intended to support teachers navigating complex topics around consent and harmful behaviour. The final version was vetted before being offered to schools as part of a pastoral programme. Only one school accepted the offer, and the material was delivered to an audience of 15–17 year olds in October 2024. Councillor Martyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth Services, said: 'The suggestion that older pupils have been taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true. All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.' Cllr Jones added that the original draft may have been shared with the media by someone acting in good faith but who misunderstood the situation. 'It appears that inaccurate information from a draft version of a presentation was shared with the media by individuals who had the best of intentions as they thought it had already been used in classrooms. However, the truth of the matter is that the slides in question had been deleted and updated long before the final version of the presentation was ever delivered,' he said. The council reiterated its commitment to safeguarding and said it monitors all educational materials used with children and young people to ensure they remain appropriate and compliant with legislation. Next steps Ms Asghar has also written to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education, calling for a broader review into how topics such as pornography and violent sexual behaviours are addressed in schools across Wales. Bridgend Council has yet to confirm whether it will release the full versions of the presentation as requested.
Channel 4
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Channel 4
Exclusive: Child victims of domestic abuse ‘being failed and left in danger'
Child victims of domestic abuse are being failed and left in unsafe situations with nowhere to turn, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales has told Channel 4 News. In a significant intervention on children's experiences of domestic abuse, Dame Nicole Jacobs labelled the landscape for the very youngest victims as 'dire', with thousands being turned away from support services because of funding shortages. Provision for child victims across policing, the judicial system, education, social services and healthcare had dramatically failed to match the commitment to enshrine children as victims in their own right in law through the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, she said. Over a quarter of domestic abuse services surveyed in England and Wales were having to turn children away due to soaring demand, Dame Nicole's new report said, with nearly 30% revealing they have had to stop providing specialist support to children altogether because of financial pressures. 'In some cases, this may have left children in unsafe situations and at risk of further harm,' the report, seen first by Channel 4 News, stated. More than 800,000 children in England and Wales are believed to be living in a home where a parent is enduring domestic abuse, according to a recent study. 'We simply don't have the services for children and the services that do exist are really struggling,' Dame Nicole said. 'This is an issue that has been ignored for decades and children deserve so much more.' Dame Nicole said she had written to the prime minister to demand support for children affected by domestic abuse is made 'a priority' in upcoming spending decisions. 'We simply don't have the services for children and the services that do exist are really struggling. This is an issue that has been ignored for decades and children deserve so much more.' – Dame Nicole Jacobs In response, a spokesperson for the Department for Education told Channel 4 News: 'The government welcomes this report and a formal response to it will follow in the coming months.' 'Lack of empathy' Dame Nicole said her report – the culmination of two years' research – found children's experiences had been defined by a 'lack of empathy', with their 'voices marginalised'. One child, recalling the police response to a domestic abuse incident, told researchers: 'Sitting in a policeman's car, he said, 'can you stay at your friend's because I need to go soon?'' The family court system was also highlighted, with children describing being ignored in their pleas not to see an abusive parent. Another child victim said: 'I wanted the court to listen to me because I don't want to see my Dad.' Funding concerns Dame Nicole said funding for domestic abuse services had prioritised adults and the criminal justice system response, with support for children 'near to non-existent.' 'It's pretty dire,' she said. 'Children usually have nowhere to turn. That is not good enough for children who are really suffering. 'They're growing up in an environment where they're under stress, constant surveillance, subject to coercion and controlling behaviour, exposed to that feeling of walking on eggshells.' 'Children usually have nowhere to turn. That is not good enough for children who are really suffering.' – Dame Nicole Jacobs Support services The failings of statutory services – such as health, education and social care – to provide adequate support had compelled 'already overburdened' community services to step in, Dame Nicole said. Acorns Project, a specialist domestic abuse support service based in North Tyneside and Northumberland, has been forced to make staff redundant and prioritise 'core services' in efforts to address significant financial difficulties. The waiting list for therapeutic support in Northumberland is currently over 12 months. 'This is a reflection on reducing our costs whilst also receiving higher numbers and more complex case referrals,' Maxine Tennet, its chief executive, told Channel 4 News. Ms Tennet said Acorns aspired to deliver services 'to support a greater number of children', but a lack of long-term funding meant 'day-to-day' survival had to be the focus. The local authority responsible for funding has been approached for comment. Martha's story Martha – not her real name – has just turned 18. Now safe with her mother and younger sister after fleeing her violent father, Martha is calling for greater support for children. This is her story: 'The best way to describe it is constantly walking on eggshells. His behaviour was so unpredictable. I never knew exactly what he was going to do. I remember I would wake up before the sun would rise, just so anxious all the time. There was nowhere safe – inside the house or outside the house. I had to have teachers walk me to the car park to have my Mum pick me up in case he tried to come to the school. I had no safety zone. Everywhere was interrupted by his presence and his violence. There was no escape. Children who witness domestic abuse are in many senses forgotten and almost pushed to the side. I just felt like people didn't want to have to deal with me and what I had been through. I don't think there were any systems in place that were supposed to help me that did. I felt failed by every single one: police, social services, courts, healthcare, school – all of them. It was letdown after letdown after letdown. In the court system, I still wasn't being listened to or properly heard. It was about the legal technicalities as if it were a game of chess rather than my lived experience. When I went to mental health, I had a phone call saying everything that had happened and received a letter back saying I wasn't suicidal or self-harming enough to receive help. How do we expect children to move forward and recover in any sense without sufficient help and support? I am at a point now where I live a normal life as a teenager and people wouldn't know. I do regular teenage things but it is still something that lives with me. I don't think it will ever leave me entirely.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Tenby school in need of £500,000 of urgent repairs
Bridgend Council says pupils were never taught it was okay to choke during sex THE WELSH CONSERVATIVE have intensified pressure on Bridgend County Borough Council over reports that pupils were taught about 'sexual choking' during PSHE lessons—despite the council's insistence that the claims are based on outdated and inaccurate materials. Shadow Education Cabinet Secretary Natasha Asghar MS has now written to the leader of the council requesting copies of both the original and updated versions of a PowerPoint presentation developed by domestic abuse charity ASSIA, which was used during a single session in one Bridgend school in 2024. Ms Asghar said: 'I remain appalled that anyone involved in educating our children would consider including references to such a dangerous and risky act in educational materials. 'There appears to have been no attempt to explain the risks associated with choking, but merely a focus on ensuring the act is consensual. The leadership of Bridgend Council claims they requested that this presentation be altered before being shown to pupils. However, this does not disguise the fact that those responsible for creating the content initially deemed it appropriate. 'I am requesting both versions of the presentation be made available to me, and I am calling on Bridgend Council to reconsider their relationship with ASSIA. It is clear that by even considering the inclusion of such shocking content, their values do not align with what most decent people would reasonably expect to be taught in our schools.' Council: Claims based on misinformation Bridgend County Borough Council has pushed back strongly against what it calls 'a classic example of how misinformation can generate headlines.' It insists that pupils were not taught to accept dangerous or illegal sexual behaviour. The council says the slide that referenced choking with consent was part of a draft presentation that was never shown in schools. That content, they say, was deleted or corrected prior to delivery, and the final version made it clear that non-fatal strangulation is a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Developed in response to real questions from older pupils, the presentation was intended to support teachers navigating complex topics around consent and harmful behaviour. The final version was vetted before being offered to schools as part of a pastoral programme. Only one school accepted the offer, and the material was delivered to an audience of 15–17 year olds in October 2024. Councillor Martyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth Services, said: 'The suggestion that older pupils have been taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true. All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.' Cllr Jones added that the original draft may have been shared with the media by someone acting in good faith but who misunderstood the situation. 'It appears that inaccurate information from a draft version of a presentation was shared with the media by individuals who had the best of intentions as they thought it had already been used in classrooms. However, the truth of the matter is that the slides in question had been deleted and updated long before the final version of the presentation was ever delivered,' he said. The council reiterated its commitment to safeguarding and said it monitors all educational materials used with children and young people to ensure they remain appropriate and compliant with legislation. Next steps Ms Asghar has also written to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education, calling for a broader review into how topics such as pornography and violent sexual behaviours are addressed in schools across Wales. Bridgend Council has yet to confirm whether it will release the full versions of the presentation as requested.
Pembrokeshire Herald
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Call for release of ‘sex choking' lesson slides as council insists claims misleading
Bridgend Council says pupils were never taught it was okay to choke during sex THE WELSH CONSERVATIVE have intensified pressure on Bridgend County Borough Council over reports that pupils were taught about 'sexual choking' during PSHE lessons—despite the council's insistence that the claims are based on outdated and inaccurate materials. Shadow Education Cabinet Secretary Natasha Asghar MS has now written to the leader of the council requesting copies of both the original and updated versions of a PowerPoint presentation developed by domestic abuse charity ASSIA, which was used during a single session in one Bridgend school in 2024. Ms Asghar said: 'I remain appalled that anyone involved in educating our children would consider including references to such a dangerous and risky act in educational materials. 'There appears to have been no attempt to explain the risks associated with choking, but merely a focus on ensuring the act is consensual. The leadership of Bridgend Council claims they requested that this presentation be altered before being shown to pupils. However, this does not disguise the fact that those responsible for creating the content initially deemed it appropriate. 'I am requesting both versions of the presentation be made available to me, and I am calling on Bridgend Council to reconsider their relationship with ASSIA. It is clear that by even considering the inclusion of such shocking content, their values do not align with what most decent people would reasonably expect to be taught in our schools.' Council: Claims based on misinformation Bridgend County Borough Council has pushed back strongly against what it calls 'a classic example of how misinformation can generate headlines.' It insists that pupils were not taught to accept dangerous or illegal sexual behaviour. The council says the slide that referenced choking with consent was part of a draft presentation that was never shown in schools. That content, they say, was deleted or corrected prior to delivery, and the final version made it clear that non-fatal strangulation is a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Developed in response to real questions from older pupils, the presentation was intended to support teachers navigating complex topics around consent and harmful behaviour. The final version was vetted before being offered to schools as part of a pastoral programme. Only one school accepted the offer, and the material was delivered to an audience of 15–17 year olds in October 2024. Councillor Martyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth Services, said: 'The suggestion that older pupils have been taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true. All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.' Cllr Jones added that the original draft may have been shared with the media by someone acting in good faith but who misunderstood the situation. 'It appears that inaccurate information from a draft version of a presentation was shared with the media by individuals who had the best of intentions as they thought it had already been used in classrooms. However, the truth of the matter is that the slides in question had been deleted and updated long before the final version of the presentation was ever delivered,' he said. The council reiterated its commitment to safeguarding and said it monitors all educational materials used with children and young people to ensure they remain appropriate and compliant with legislation. Next steps Ms Asghar has also written to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education, calling for a broader review into how topics such as pornography and violent sexual behaviours are addressed in schools across Wales. Bridgend Council has yet to confirm whether it will release the full versions of the presentation as requested.
