News

New Online Safety resources from Rape Crisis Scotland

Rape Crisis Scotland has produced a range of new resources to help people to stay safe online.

The internet makes it very easy for people to connect quickly with others and to find out and send very personal information. It also allows people to hide who they really are and what they are doing. Some people use the internet to harm others - this could be someone they know or a stranger. Online technology is featuring increasingly as a factor involved in some instances of sexual violence reported by survivors and can also facilitate and aggravate different forms of abuse, including stalking, grooming, controlling and bullying.

Rape Crisis Scotland's new resources are aimed at parents & carers, children & young people, and people engaged in dating or conducting relationships online. These resources may be augmented in the future to include others aimed at different user groups. We are committed to keeping up to date with developments in this area and will continue to update our resources and website accordingly.

Sexual violence & the online connection
Any form of sexual contact which someone does not agree to is sexual violence. Anyone who does not respect another’s privacy, who will not leave them alone, who posts embarrassing or threatening statements about them, or ‘shares’ photos online without their permission is being abusive. These are just some examples of how online activity can be used to facilitate abuse.

Perpetrators of sexual violence and abuse are always responsible for it. Taking risks or doing something that made them vulnerable does not mean that those they target have caused or invited the abuse to happen.

For more information or for hard copies of the new resources, please contact info@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk.