In November 2023, Gippsland Women’s Health was a successful recipient of the e-Safety Commissioner grant program – Preventing Tech-Facilitated Coercive Control of Women and Girls in Regional and Rural Victoria. The Preventing tech-facilitated coercive control of Women Grants Program, led by eSafety, will provide important resources and services to help protect Australian women and children. This includes tools to prevent abuse before it starts.
Along with our five partners, our intention is to prevent tech-facilitated coercive control by creating meaningful, impactful and time enduring resources that are informed by lived experience. These resources will be accessible to women and girls living in regional and remote Victoria.
Through a collaborative, human-centred approach, the eAware Women & Girls’ Online Safety Project is aimed at keeping women living in regional and rural Victoria safe from tech-facilitated coercive control.
A core focus of the project is to shine a light on the lived experience of women and girls living in regional and rural Victoria.
The term ‘women’ and ‘girls’ refers to people who identify as female and we are especially interested in collaborating with people from the following communities:
** The term ‘women’ and ‘girls’ is used to recognise the diverse range of individuals who identify as women or girls. This definition encompasses cisgender women, transgender women, and those who are nonbinary or gender diverse and align themselves with the “female experience”.
The eAware project will see the delivery of impactful and meaningful resources for the prevention of tech-facilitated coercive control in regional and rural Victoria via:
Consultation workshops and an online survey have been utilised to gain insights into the lived and living experience of tech-facilitated coercive control in regional and rural Victoria.
Throughout the consultation activities, we collaborated with women living in regional and rural Victoria and, their support service providers, carers and advocates, including representation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTIQA+, disability and migrant communities.
The consultation workshops and online survey have now closed. The results are now being analysed and will inform the direction of the communication campaign, Awareness training package and the digital and supporting resources.
*** We are deeply grateful to the women living in regional and rural Victoria, as well as their support service providers, carers, and advocates, who courageously shared their stories and contributed their valuable time to support this important consultation.
Your voices have been heard and will play a key role in helping to keep regional and rural Victorian communities safe from tech-facilitated coercive control.. ***
Tech-facilitated violence & abuse includes many types of violence and abuse including gendered and family violence, intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, child abuse, sibling bullying, and elder abuse.
The role of tech-facilitated gendered violence and abuse perpetration and victimisation varies according to the gender of the victim-survivor and/or perpetrator. The gendered aspect of tech-facilitated violence and abuse refers to the impacts upon victim-survivors and the relationships in which the tech-facilitated violence and abuse occurs.
Technology-facilitated coercive control (TFCC) is a form of abusive behaviour using digital technologies. Over time this creates fear and takes away the person’s freedom and independence. Examples may include checking someone’s phone to see who they are communicating with; controlling or taking over internet accounts; using cameras or recording devices to spy on someone; or using a GPS tracker to monitor their location.
Report tech-based content or interactions that are harmful and/or are intended to harm an individual or group.
Report tech-based crime or suspected crime that targets an industry, sector or organisation and its infrastructure.
Report tech-based communications that are unsolicited and encourage the recipient to respond, or react.
Watch this video to learn three simple steps to safeguard your personal information.
An overview of the ways women may be at risk of online abuse, and how they can take control using technology.
The eAware: Women and Girls’ Online Safety Project is supported by the partnership between members of the regional Women’s Health Network; Gippsland Women’s Health, Women’s Health in the South East, Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West, Women’s Health Goulburn North East, Women’s Health Loddon Mallee and Women’s Health Grampians.
This project was funded through the eSafety Commissioner’s Preventing Tech-based Abuse of Women Grants Program – an Australian Government Initiative.
If you have any questions regarding this project, please reach out:
Email: projects.hpp@gwhealth.asn.au
Phone: 1800 805 448
Gippsland Women’s Health acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of Country and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gunaikurnai and Bunurong as the Traditional Owners of the land and waters now known as Gippsland and acknowledge that they have never ceded sovereignty.
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We acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government.
