Charity Overview
Refuge is the UK’s largest specialist provider of support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Every day, Refuge supports thousands of survivors, helping them rebuild their lives free from fear and abuse.
Frontline staff specialise in providing practical and emotional support through a co-ordinated, multi-agency response that addresses all forms of violence against women and girls, including domestic, sexual, technology-facilitated, economic abuse and so-called ‘honour’ based violence, as well as coercive control, modern slavery and human trafficking, prostitution, forced marriage, stalking and female genital mutilation (FGM). Refuge also runs the free, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, providing a vital gateway to specialist support across the UK.
Project Summary
Although many of the women Refuge supports will have experienced physical abuse, technology-facilitated abuse is growing year on year. Refuge is the only frontline service with a specialist team dedicated to supporting women facing this insidious and complex form of abuse.
The Tech Lead supported a survivor with a tech assessment to identify technology-related concerns. An unknown device had been connected to the survivor’s Google account prior to her placement in emergency accommodation, indicating a strong possibility that this was how the perpetrator located her family.Refuge Case Study, 2025
ICAP Charity Day supports Refuge’s Tech Abuse Advocacy Service, which empowers survivors to use technology safely, protects them from technology-enabled harm and ensures they are not forced offline.
Over the past year, the service has supported 577 survivors. ICAP funding has provided many of them with the devices they need to communicate safely with support services and regain access to education and financial services after their accounts or devices were compromised.
Our funding is also used by the service to purchase devices for testing. Both new and older technologies can be, and are, used by abusers to stalk and harm survivors. Understanding how devices may be misused is crucial to helping survivors stay safe online. Thanks to our funding, the team has been able to test smartphones, wearable and fitness technology, smart home devices, children’s tech, and covert surveillance equipment for potential risks.
See more of Our Impact
