 | School apps and web portals are now used by perpetrators to harass, stalk and intimidate women and their children. 'Gone are the days when you can just use something because it's practical and it's there', says Michelle. In Selena's case, her child had to move to a school which has a digital-free environment for his safety: and there are fewer and fewer of those schools around now. Read the full article here. |
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Domestic violence shelters are seeing a disturbing trend: Victims being tracked by apps made to watch their children. While this is an American story, this is happening in Australia at similar rates. Click on the image to watch the VICE Australia show.  Kate—not her real name—had her story splashed across newspapers, and the person who abused her is dead, but she still prefers to use a pseudonym here. There is always some level of anonymity in survivors—despite her desire to speak out, tell her story and help others, Kate is still wary of judgment and scrutiny. It is a projection, perhaps, of the way she still sometimes blames herself.
Read Kate's story here “I was in the bathroom and I was brushing my teeth. I could see in the mirror he was choking her on the bed.” 14-year-old Agenilda [not her real name] cannot erase this image from her mind. Her father’s abuse appears in her flashbacks and dreams as a relentless reminder of the trauma of her childhood. The family's long cycle of domestic violence began more than 12 years ago, when Agenilda’s mother fell pregnant with twins. The abuse only worsened as the children grew older creating a household infected with fear. Read the full story here.  Agenilda's painting Like most housemates, they shared things. He cleaned, she did most of the cooking - another meal wasn't a hassle when she was already cooking for her two children. But when she refused his advances after eight months of living together, she began to feel uncomfortable in her home and then... after refusing his advances yet again, that rejection sparked a horrific ordeal involving rape, torture, kidnapping and being bound and driven interstate. Read the full story here.  Police both here and elsewhere often get a bad rap: this video [and, please note, it is highly distressing] shows the extent to which many go to in order to save lives.  |
