Refuge has welcomed Ofcom’s draft Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Guidance, which was developed following successful sector-wide campaigning around the Online Safety Act.
They have said that while they are pleased that the guidance incorporates some of Refuge’s recommendations, the fact that it is not legally binding means that it falls drastically short of the change that is desperately needed to protect women and girls from online abuse. Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse at Refuge, said:
“Almost all the survivors we support have experienced some form of technology-facilitated abuse. Between 2018 and 2022, Refuge saw a 258% rise in reported cases of abuse involving technology, yet we know this statistic represents just the tip of the iceberg.
Technology-facilitated abuse has a devastating impact on all aspects of a survivor’s life and practical guidance for tech companies on how best to tackle it is long overdue. Although abuse is fundamentally caused by perpetrators, online platforms are frequently used to facilitate and amplify abuse and tech companies have an enormous part to play in keeping women and girls safe.”
They commend Ofcom’s proposal that companies take a safety-by-design approach, which “must include effective and accessible mechanisms for reporting abuse”. Pickering said:
“The proposed use of a database to tag and keep track of non-consensually shared images is another much-needed step in the right direction when it comes to ensuring reported images can be swiftly detected and removed. Many survivors struggle to get these types of images taken down by online platforms, resulting in an exacerbation of their trauma.
The Government now needs to give this guidance the weight it requires by making it legally-binding. Without any legal force, it is unlikely these recommendations will amount to much more than a drop in the ocean. While we would like to see tech companies voluntarily comply, the sad fact is that many will continue to prioritise profits over the protection of women and girls.
Enough is enough. Online platforms must play their part in creating safer spaces online, and be rigorously held to account when they fall short.”
