Sadly, by the age of 16, at least one in five girls has already experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse – and they are up to 58 per cent more likely to face tech-facilitated abuse such as harassment, image-based exploitation, or stalking.
During the recent 16 Days of Activism, DV Safe Phone urged Australian businesses and community group to join the 16 Day Challenge by making a tangible 16 themed pledge to help minimise gender-based violence.
Every pledge helps break the cycle of abuse and brings us closer to a world where girls and women feel safe -everywhere, always.
The recent Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) trial introduced in the Federal Online Safety Act will raise the minimum age for social media access from 13 to 16 from the 10 December this year.
This policy amendment is the recognition of the harms associated with social media use, suggesting that by 16, young Australians are beyond the most vulnerable stage of adolescence.
While age restrictions aim to help reduce exposure to harm in the long term, the immediate issue remains: abuse is already happening, and it is becoming more digitally entrenched.
In fact, 16 per cent of child sexual abuse victims who face frequent harassment even change how they express themselves online to avoid abuse.
Furthermore, Australian women who experience multiple forms of childhood abuse – such as physical or sexual abuse or witnessing domestic violence – face up to 10 times the risk of being revictimised by violence as adults.
With perpetrators exploiting the digital landscape to exert control, mobile phones are increasingly weaponised through spyware and location tracking, cutting victims and survivors off from support networks and maintain control.
DV Safe Phone founder and chief executive officer Ashton Wood said the statistics paint a disturbing picture of how early coercive control begins.
“Abuse is terrible at any age, but knowing young girls are experiencing this before finishing high school is deeply concerning,” he said.
“By 16, technology that should connect them to friends and family positively, is instead being used to monitor, track, and isolate them.
“Without access to safe, private device, victims cannot call for help, access support services, or even communicate with people they trust.
“This leaves young girls feeling trapped and perpetuates the cycle of abuse.”
This was the case for a teenage victim who received a refurbished safe phone from one of DV Safe Phone’s agency partners.
“After discovering that her perpetrator was tracking all her devices and the vehicles she travelled in, she was left isolated and vulnerable.
“Receiving a safe phone allowed her to stay connected with family and support networks without fear of being monitored.
“Stories like hers are a powerful reminder that a safe phone is more than just a device – it’s a lifeline.”
Launched in 2020, DV Safe Phone has just achieved a timely milestone, distributing over 16,000 safe phones to victims and survivors escaping domestic violence.
They are now striving to reach a milestone of 18,000 phones, 18,000 lifelines distributed by year’s end, to help address the urgent need to protect the next generation of vulnerable girls.
This year, the charity is inviting Australian businesses and community groups to Join the 16 Day Challenge by pledging their support to help the charity reach this goal.
Companies can make a tangible, 16-themed commitment – donating 16 phones, contributing $1,600, signing up 16 staff or club members as monthly donors, and walking or cycling 16 kilometres to help break the cycle of gender-based violence.
As technology becomes an increasingly common weapon in domestic violence, with over one quarter (27 per cent) of cases involving the technology-facilitated abuse of children, DV Safe Phone is calling on Australian organisations and individuals to donate their old, unused phones to protect their daughters, nieces, sisters and granddaughters from becoming another statistic of lifelong domestic and family violence.
To find out more about how individuals and workplaces can get involved, head to dvsafephone.org/16days
“A safer future for our girls isn’t just a hope, it’s a responsibility.”
