With a significant escalation in Technology facilitated abuse in Australia, and a National Plan to guide actions to ending domestic violence on the Government's agenda, the Naturalena Foundation, in collaboration with MICAH Projects and Concentric Concepts, has established a Tech Abuse Detection and Assessment Hub in a discreet location in Brisbane.

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The Tech Hub is an innovative scalable service delivery model, the first of its kind in Australia, the design of which is supported by evidence-based research and informed by front-line DV workers and lived experience victims.

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Individuals are referred to the Tech Hub by Domestic Violence front-line workers, their family lawyer, or a health professional, by way of appointment, whereby a safety and security assessment on a car and devices is conducted by an expert security specialist.

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Technology-facilitated abuse is a form of interpersonal violence using mobile, online, and/or digital technologies and this form of abuse is escalating.

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It includes:

• Monitoring and controlling behaviours (eg tracking whereabouts, stalking, surveillance)

• Emotional abuse and threats

• Harassment (eg sending offensive material or maintaining unwanted contact)

• Sexual and image-based abuse (eg taking and distributing imagery without consent)

 

Technology-based abuse can involve - misuse of devices of phones and computers, accounts (email), software and platforms (social media), and cars (tracking) to control, abuse, and intimidate people experiencing Domestic and Family violence.