The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is to deliver a new training program for frontline domestic and family violence professionals to help women experiencing online abuse.
The initiative, which focuses on assisting professionals identify technology-facilitated and image-based abuse and implement privacy measures for victims, was welcomed by the Ministers for Communications and Women, Senator Mitch Fifield and Kelly O’Dwyer respectively.
Senator Fifield said the Government was committed to ensuring a range of services were available to people working on the frontline with women experiencing technology-facilitated abuse.
“That’s why we set aside an additional $1.2 million in the latest Budget for the eSafety Office to develop a range of resources to enhance women’s online safety,” Senator Fifield said.
“The eSafety Women initiative is a free service, intended to complement other face-to-face training workshops already on offer.”
Ms O’Dwyer said accessible training services would ensure that busy frontline staff could easily access the training they needed to support women in need.
“The new online training program will allow more social workers and domestic violence and health professionals to receive crucial skills and undertake training when required,” Ms O’Dwyer said.
The Ministers said that since its launch in 2015, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner had developed a range of initiatives to help all people navigate online safety, including a portal to report image-based abuse, a complaints scheme to remove harmful cyber-bullying content and access to immediate support.
