The organisation’s Domestic Violence Unit marked its tenth anniversary this week by highlighting the alarming trend of technology-facilitated abuse, with figures showing nearly 8,000 women sought assistance in the past financial year – the highest number since the unit’s establishment.
Data released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) underscores the severity of the issue, documenting 224 recorded incidents of coercive control. Of particular concern is that 60 per cent of these cases involved harassment, monitoring and tracking through digital means.
Legal Aid NSW’s warning highlights how traditional domestic violence has evolved in the digital age, with abusers exploiting smartphones, social media platforms, GPS tracking, and other technologies to maintain control over their victims even when physically separated.
As domestic violence rates rise, so has demand for legal assistance. In the past two years there has been a 69 per cent increase in the number of women seeking legal advice from the Domestic Violence Unit.
Source: Legal Aid NSW Sounds Alarm on Rising Tech-Facilitated Abuse – Tech News