The UK government has launched a new website designed to support victims of online abuse, while offering practical advice on how to report the abusers, writes The Independent.
The Stop Online Abuse website was launched over the weekend, and will offer information and help to victims of crimes including online harassment, revenge porn, hate speech, sexual harassment and blackmail.
The Guardian explains that the site is particularly aimed at women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, as the sectors of society most targeted with online threats.
The site was created by the government in response to a report detailing the scale of abuse experienced by women and LGBT people on the internet. The organization behind the campaign, Stonewall, said 23% of LGBT pupils reported experience of cyberbullying and 5% of LGBT adults said they had been the target of homophobic insults in the past year, in figures cited by Hot For Security.
Nicky Morgan, the minister for women and equalities, said: “This new site will provide practical advice for women and LGBT people on how to recognise abuse, what steps to take to report it and how to get offensive content removed. It is another sign of our determination to tackle discrimination in all its forms and create a fairer society for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The UK's move to support abuse victims will be seen as a positive step, as governing bodies in the US continue to grapple with the law around such cases. Last month US representative Katherine Clark put forward a new bill that seeks to increase resources around the issue, with the addition of 10 new FBI agents dedicated to tackling cyberthreats, as reported by We Live Security.
