(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Women's Aid, specialized in domestic violence, reported an increase in the number of disclosures of women being abused, controlled and stalked through technology, British media reported.
According to reports, many women have disclosed that their current or former boyfriend, husband and partner were using many forms of technology, including a variety of telephone, surveillance, and computer technologies, to control, coerce, and intimidate them.
“Women disclosed that their home and mobile phone calls were monitored, as well as all of their texts. Some spoke of how their phone conversations were being recorded. Others found cameras secretly installed to monitor their every movement at home,” said Margaret Martin, Director of Women's Aid.
She went on to say that, "Domestic violence is a huge problem within Irish society. We are particularly concerned about the growing trend of women being monitored and harassed through technology.”
“In 2009, we heard from women whose online use was being tracked and scrutinized and whose partners demanded access to their private email and social networking accounts. We also heard from women whose partners and ex-partners had placed lies about them on internet sites. We also heard from women who had been photographed and filmed without their consent,” she added.
"The use of technology in domestic violence situations is now a key part of the wider pattern of emotional abuse. Women have told us they feel like they are constantly being watched and that their privacy is completely invaded and controlled.”
Martin said, "We also know that leaving the relationship does not always end abuse with almost a fifth of women disclosing being abused by their former boyfriends, husbands and partners to the Women's Aid Helpline in 2009. For many, technology played a part in the stalking and harassment they experienced. This included women being bombarded with texts and calls often telling them in explicit detail how they will be attacked or even killed. Younger women reported that their current or former boyfriends were stalking them on social networking sites.”
Women's Aid has also provided some national and international statistics in this regard as the prevalence of domestic violence has become of great concern.
"In 2009, there were over 14,000 incidents of domestic violence disclosed to the Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline. There were 8,629 incidents of emotional abuse, 3,479 incidents of physical abuse and 1,679 incidents of financial abuse disclosed. In the same year, 826 incidents of sexual abuse were disclosed to Helpline support workers including 335 incidents of rape,” it said.
Meanwhile, the EU Campaign Against Domestic Violence said in a separate report that 25 percent of all violent crimes reported in 2000 involved a man assaulting his wife or partner.
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