To ask the Minister of Justice to outline any action her Department is taking to address online abuse as a form of coercive control.

ORAL QUESTION No 12 - AQO 2224/22-27

ANSWER

At the outset I should explain that telecommunications legislation, including the regulation of social media platforms, is a reserved matter and, therefore, responsibility rests with the UK Government. However, my Department has always sought to take a proactive approach towards supporting online safety, and I too remain committed to playing my part in addressing this issue.

The domestic abuse offence, which I brought forward through the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, covers online and technological abuse where abusers exploit the use of technology, social media or other online means to control or coerce someone that they are personally connected to. This legislation ensures that repeated acts of abuse can be prosecuted effectively and I would encourage anyone experiencing this type of abuse to report it to the police.

The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced new UK-wide laws that protect both children and adults from online harm by creating a new regulatory framework for online platforms and search services. It puts the onus on service providers to take measures to protect all users from illegal content and to also protect children from harmful content and activity. Illegal content includes harassment, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour and intimate image abuse.

The Act also created two new communication offences, a false communications offence and a threatening communications offence.

In addition, the action plan for the new seven year Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy, which I jointly published with the Health Minister last September, contains an action, which is led by the Department of Health, to continue to implement actions arising from the Online Safety Strategy to empower children and young people, parents/carers and those working with children and young people to recognise, prevent and respond to abusive behaviours online.

I understand that one initiative under this Online Safety Strategy has led to the development of an Online Safety Hub, which offers clear guidance on healthy relationships and helps users, including young people, identify signs of abuse, including coercive control.