Domestic abuse charity Refuge has called on the government to make tackling technology-facilitated abuse a key part of its plan to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Refuge said it saw a rise of 258 per cent in survivor cases involving technology between 2018 and 2022, adding that this represents “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Most survivors that the charity supports have experienced some form of technology-facilitated abuse, with the organisation warning that it is becoming much easier for abusers to stalk, monitor, and harm women and children through technology.

Refuge said its research showed that one in three women in the UK have experienced online abuse, with one in six experiencing this abuse from a partner or ex-partner.

The charity set up a specialist technology-facilitated abuse and economic empowerment service in 2017, the only one of its kind in England.

Since then, Refuge said cases have grown both in quantity and complexity with a 92 per cent increase in referrals in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the government to ensure the Online Safety Act is robustly implemented and that social media platforms adopt the forthcoming VAWG guidance from Ofcom, but there is much more to be done,” said Emma Pickering, head of technology-facilitated abuse and economic empowerment at Refuge. “Survivors who report tech-facilitated abuse to police don’t always receive informed support, and it is essential that frontline responders undergo mandatory training on investigating this kind of abuse.

“While we are proud to lead the sector with our dedicated team, for us to continue this life-saving work there must be increased funding for specialist online VAWG services as a matter of urgency.”

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