Refuge's Tech Safety Newsletter January 2025
Emergency Alert System Testing on January 7th
The UK government will be testing the emergency alert system again on January 7th. For survivors of domestic abuse, particularly those with secondary or hidden devices, this is a crucial message to take action to maintain safety. Please ensure that all emergency alert options, including 'operator tests,' are turned off on any devices you may have. To do this, access your phone settings and disable all emergency alerts. For step-by-step guidance, visit our guide on Emergency Alerts.
Tech and Economic strategic priorities for 2025
As we enter into a new year our focus as ever remains on creating safer spaces for women and girls both online and offline. We will be launching our tech abuse survey in the coming months, which analyses the trends women and girls reported to have experienced online. Policy work remains focused on supporting Ofcom's regulation of the Online Safety Act. Alongside, the Economic service sharing safety solutions with the Home Office relating to the e-Visa scheme.
We will continue to deliver our direct support to survivors experiencing both economic abuse and tech-facilitated abuse, both via our services and expanding our support via the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. Our direct client work with survivors is our central focus, we know first-hand the huge difference supporting survivors directly makes, keeping survivors location secure, ensuring they remain online safely and regain financial freedom. We continue to evolve this work and are excited to deliver tech and economic empowerment workshops across our services in 2025.
Last year we developed our accredited training packages and delivered training across services such as the police, health care services and housing. In 2025 we will continue to deliver our accredited training to external services, ensuring that agencies are recognising and responding to tech-facilitated abuse concerns raised by survivors.
In 2025 we will celebrate 5 years of our partnership with PayPlan, the partnership has helped ensure survivors can access free confidential debt advice and support, the partnership has resulted in survivors have had thousands of pounds of debts written off. We continue to deliver our award-winning partnership with Barclays and continue to engage with banks to provide safe access to financial resources for women in our services.
We will raise awareness and share key messages throughout the year on key dates, such as Safer Internet Day and Fraud Awareness week. Ensure we reach as many survivors as possible via our digital channels, expanding the content on the Tech Safety website, sharing information via our podcasts and inviting partners across the sector to share their strategic plans for working with survivors experiencing domestic abuse.
We will continue to feed into product safety and design across the tech sector and ensure survivors have access to safe devices through our gifting schemes. We look forward to delivering our second Tech Summit in September 2025, after delivering a successful first Tech Safety Summit in 2024. Keep an eye on our future newsletters for further updates both in regard to the Summit and the wider work of the team.
Refuge... In conversation with Galop
In this compelling podcast episode, Sophie and Lis discuss the unique challenges faced by LGBT+ survivors of abuse in the digital age, focusing on the growing issue of tech-facilitated abuse. From online harassment to doxing, this important conversation sheds light on how technology can be weaponised against LGBT+individuals. Importantly, the episode highlights actions to take, and the vital role that organisations can play in combating these issues and supporting survivors. Listen now on Spotify, for an eye-opening conversation that empowers listeners to be part of the solution. For more information on Galop, visit their website.