Tag: abuse

Charity demands change as shock report unmasks hidden cost of abuse

A ground-breaking report from Hourglass, Economic Abuse by Numbers, has exposed the staggering social and economic costs of abuse against older people in the UK, revealing a hidden epidemic of financial exploitation that costs society billions of pounds each year.

Authored by Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focusing on ending the abuse of older people, the report calls for urgent action and funding to protect older victim-survivors. It underlines that their suffering has too often been ignored by policymakers and the public alike. It has been issued as part of the charity’s Safer Ageing Week 2024.

The report details that economic abuse is not just a crime — it is a devastating assault on the dignity, safety, and futures of older people.

Some of the key figures underline how the abuse of older people costs the UK over £16 billion annually, with this figure projected to rise to more than £25 billion per year by 2050 if urgent action is not taken.

Despite the overwhelming scale of the problem, specialist services for older victims receive less than £500,000 annually — less than 1% of the £85 million allocated for all-age domestic abuse services across the UK.

Describing the issue as ‘a crisis hidden in plain sight’ the study explains how older victim-survivors often lose vast sums of money, property, or savings they have spent decades accumulating.

Over the past three years alone, Hourglass has recorded over £53 million in reported financial losses from older victims contacting its 24/7 helpline. Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg — only 14% of economic abuse cases report financial loss, meaning the true figures are likely far higher.

Shockingly, awareness of economic abuse remains critically low. A recent Hourglass/YouGov survey revealed alarming misconceptions among the public:

  • 26% of respondents in England and Wales do not recognise using a Power of Attorney for personal financial gain as abuse.
  • 32% of respondents in Northern Ireland do not recognise taking items from an older relative’s home without permission as a form of abuse.
  • 29% in Wales and 27% in Scotland do not view attempts to change an older relative’s will as abuse.
  • 16% in England and Scotland do not believe scams targeting older people count as abuse.

Hourglass CEO Richard Robinson, stated: “These figures underline a glaring problem — not only is economic abuse of older people pervasive, but it is also dangerously misunderstood.

“Older victims are being side-lined in policy discussions, and this report makes clear that the UK is failing to meet even the most basic standard of protection.

“The question is not whether we can afford this commitment, but rather, can we afford the alternative? Without ring fenced, long-term funding for specialist services, we are choosing to let economic abuse continue unchecked, to the tune of billions in human and financial cost.

“It’s time to end the silence, stand up for older victim-survivors, and demand that the all four governments and assemblies make their protection a priority – on par with any other crisis of abuse.”

The report highlights the stark economic case for investment in specialist services. Hourglass estimates that £300 million annually is required in England and Wales alone to remove the barriers to assistance and build a robust, proactive support system.

With older people contributing over £160 billion annually to the UK economy, the neglect of their safety and well-being is both a moral and economic failure.

Hourglass is calling for ring fenced, long-term funding and a comprehensive strategy to address abuse against older people, ensuring their protection is elevated to the same level of urgency as any other crisis of abuse.

As the Safer Ageing Week 2024 theme demands: Take Note. It is time to stop turning a blind eye to the financial and economic abuse of older people.

This is not only complicity — it is a choice to allow lives to be shattered and billions to be siphoned from an already overburdened system.

The report can be viewed here

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity during Safer Ageing Week to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

The-Economic-Abuse-of-Older-People-by-the-NumbersDownload

Calls to abuse helpline for older people rise TWO THIRDS IN ONE YEAR

Fraud, theft, abuse and neglect reaches epidemic levels

Older people are being targeted more than ever before in new statistics and data revealed by Hourglass at the start of Safer Ageing Week (11/11/24).

The charity, the only one of its kind in the UK, reports that calls to its helpline are up 65% year-on-year and this has led to over 75,000 calls, contacts and impacts involving older people, their families and professionals.

This is an all-time record for the thirty-year-old charity.

As part of a new campaign, entitled Take Note, the charity is urging the general public and influencers to finally grasp the nettle about the abuse of older people and treat it in the same manner as other forms of abuse.

This comes off the back of recent staggering data that revealed over £53m has been reported as losses relating to economic abuse in the past three years – an average of £87k per case (5,127 cases). These figures, which come from Hourglass cases alone, are likely to be a significant underestimate.

Hourglass, who uniquely support older victim-survivors of abuse and neglect, employ just thirty members of staff to deal with cases, calls and research. However, the charity has seen figures jump from around 10,000 in 2020/21 to the new high of 75,000 in 2023/24.



Commenting on the figures, Richard Robinson CEO of Hourglass, said: “There is no question we are facing an epidemic of abuse of older people in the UK but it remains firmly under the radar.

“We estimate that abuse of older people costs the UK economy £16 billion per year, excluding economic abuse, and this equates to a figure of £50k per victim-survivor per year.

“Safer Ageing Week 2024 is a rare opportunity to shine a light on these issues and sound the alarm bell.

We are sleepwalking into a scenario where we are expecting more than nine million extra older people in the UK by 2050, equivalent to another city with the population of London, but with little pre-planning around safer ageing, abuse services and specialist safeguarding.

“We are already at epidemic levels – without urgent work, we are looking at a tidal wave of issues.”

Groundbreaking research uncovers increasing rate of sexual violence against older people

Hourglass has teamed up with independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn to publish her new research which reveals there were 274 allegations of staff sexually assaulting older patients recorded in just three years.

The research, which is available to read in full on the Hourglass website, follows a study produced in 2021, inspired by the case of Valerie Kneale who passed away due to injuries from a sexual assault in Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

It found that 75 cases of sexual abuse committed by staff were recorded from 2016 to 2021.

This new research, released today has revealed that in just three years, that number has more than tripled.

In comparison to findings from the previous period, even less cases were reported to police, with over a third not reported or closed as ‘No Further Action’.
 
The research also found that the majority of victims of this sexual violence were not referred to  a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) or specialist services, with a total of 127 victims not referred for support following the abuse.

The perpetrators of this abuse were most frequently found to be nurses or nursing assistants, the majority of victims were female and 85% of alleged perpetrators being male.

The research recommends that better reporting practices would result in improved justice outcomes, alongside a need for specific safeguarding training for staff to spot the signs of abuse, particularly when it comes to older victims.

Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity supporting older victims-survivors of abuse and neglect, operating a 24/7 helpline, unique casework service and specialist local support. The charity warns that the findings of this report is emblematic of the rising epidemic of abuse, which affects a reported 1 in 6 older people in the UK. 

Independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn said: “Whilst I knew this was happening, I didn’t expect to see such a high number of incidents.

“The most surprising thing was the number of incidents being so much higher than last time although over a shorter period. It is a shocking number of incidents against a likely near zero criminal justice response.” 

Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass said: “The extent of abuse revealed in this research and the lack of response from NHS trusts is shocking and deeply concerning.

“The findings show numerous systemic failures to protect older individuals in hospitals in the first place and even more in the failure to act once the incidents have taken place.

“It is deeply concerning to see so many older victim-survivors not referred to specialist support. Specialist services are a lifeline for older people who have experienced abuse and it’s essential that these services are available and accessible to all those who need them.” 

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Usdaw asks customers to ‘keep your cool’ at Christmas

Scottish shopworkers speak out about violence, threats and abuse

Retail trade union Usdaw is asking customers to ‘keep your cool’ as the busy pre- Christmas shopping gets underway, which will culminate in what the retail industry has already dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, with 23 December being the last full shopping day before Christmas.

Shocking statistics from Usdaw’s annual survey of shopworkers shows there are still far too many incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers. Interim results from over 3,000 retail staff responses show that in the last twelve months:

·         65% have experienced verbal abuse.

·         42% were threatened by a customer.

·         5% were assaulted.

·         71% of verbal abuse was caused by customer frustration.

Scottish voices from the frontline:

These are some of the comments Scottish shopworkers shared when responding to Usdaw’s survey:

Central Scotland: “Customer wasn’t happy about something and took it out on me with shouting.” – “Most abuse when asking for ID for age identification.” – “Customer wasn’t sold alcohol and became verbally aggressive, they left but I felt shaken.”

Glasgow: “Shouting at me, getting in my face, calling me names, saying I’m useless, swearing, using derogatory female terms.” – “Pregnant member of staff got assaulted with a solar light.” – “Attacked in the car park finishing shift.”

Highlands and Islands: “Have been pushed and punched.” – “Called horrible name and barged past by a customer who I asked to leave because he is barred for shoplifting.”

Lothian: “Threats to stab us, wait for us to finish etc.” – “Customers who are drunk issuing vague threats, personal insults.” – “Touched by a male customer, he got angry, called me a rat and a lesbian because I didn’t want to be touched.”

Mid-Scotland and Fife: “Verbal abuse daily, at Christmas get threats.” – “Threatened to get punched and verbal abuse.” – “Challenging shoplifters on a daily basis and dealing with anti-social behaviour.” – “Grabbed me from behind.”

North East Scotland: “Customer said they liked my hair then pulled it.” – “Intentionally swung his basket at me after being told the alcohol aisle was closed.” – “Swearing directed towards me when asking shoplifter to leave the store.”

South Scotland: “Abuse from youths on a daily basis – threats and violence from shoplifters under the influence of drink and drugs.” – “Customer spit in my face after assaulting security.” – “Hit with packs of cakes and called a fat lazy cow.”

West Scotland: “Hit in the face by a drunk man with a basket.” – “Someone tried to hit me with a bottle.” – “Shouted at about queues, items not in stock or wanting a refund on an item that has been used and no receipt.”

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from Scottish shopworkers who deserve far more respect than they receive. Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by retail staff.

“It is shocking that two-thirds of our members working in retail stores are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Seven in ten of these incidents were triggered by customers being frustrated with stock shortages, lack of staff or problems with self-service checkouts.

“All of these problems are largely outside the control of retail staff, but they are the people who bear the brunt of shoppers’ anger. Our members tell us that incidents of verbal abuse are much worse in the run up to Christmas, when shops are busy, customers are stressed and things can boil over.

“That is why we are asking customers to ‘keep your cool’ and respect shopworkers, to make the Christmas shopping experience better for everyone.”

Ban and tagging for directors who abused Bounce Back Loan scheme

Three businessmen each claimed the maximum £50k Bounce Back Loan and one dissolved his company to avoid repayment

Ivan Hristov Fratev, 57 and Bradley Malone, 57, both from London, and Ryan William Moir, 34, from East Sussex, have been banned from running businesses for a total of 26 years, after each separately claimed £50,000 for their companies in breach of the loan scheme’s rules.

Fratev was also given a 2-year suspended sentence with 4 months’ electronically tagged curfew, at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 23 June 2023, in addition to a 6-year ban, for dissolving his business after taking out the loan. The judge also included 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) as part of his suspended sentence.

Fratev was the sole director of Chingford-based BI&F Ltd, which traded as a construction, security and extermination business from premises in Alpha Road. In May 2020 he applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, designed to help businesses keep afloat through the pandemic.

But within two weeks of the money arriving in the company bank account, Fratev applied to dissolve BI&F Ltd, without informing the bank that had loaned him the money. Failure to notify creditors of plans to strike off a company is a criminal offence.

He was caught through powers granted to the Insolvency Service in December 2021, which allow it to investigate directors of dissolved companies who are suspected of closing their business to avoid repaying Covid-19 support loans.

Peter Fulham, Chief Investigator of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Insolvency Service said: “Covid-19 financial support schemes were funded from the public purse to support genuine businesses during the pandemic. Directors who abused the scheme have exploited taxpayers.

“This two-year suspended prison sentence, along with a curfew order and a 6-year disqualification, reflects the thoroughly dishonest conduct of Ivan Fratev and should serve as a warning to others who engaged in such behaviour.

“The Insolvency Service will act to remove directors who abused Bounce Back Loans from the business arena.”

In another case in London, Bradley Malone, the sole director of ONENETPRINT Ltd, a print business trading from Palmers Road in East London, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in June 2020, stating that his company’s previous year’s turnover was £200,000.

The Bounce Back Loan scheme allowed a business to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of the company turnover in calendar year 2019, with a maximum loan of £50,000.

The company went into liquidation in February 2022 owing the full amount of the loan, which triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Malone told investigators that, during the application process, he had merely clicked ‘next’ on his phone, and the money arrived within the hour. But investigators discovered that Malone had in fact overstated the company’s turnover for 2019 in the application, to claim the maximum £50,000 loan.

They found that the company’s actual turnover for that year had been around £90,200, meaning ONENETPRINT Ltd had received around £27,400 more than it was entitled to, under the rules of the scheme.

In a third case, Ryan Moir, sole director of East Sussex-based Croxton Group Ltd, which traded as a builder from Green Street industrial estate in Eastbourne, applied for the maximum £50,000 Bounce Back Loan on behalf of his company in May 2020. He stated on the application that Croxton Group Ltd’s turnover the previous year had been £250,000.

When the company went into liquidation in May 2022, it owed around £184,500, including more than £49,400 towards the Bounce Back Loan. An investigation by the Insolvency Service showed that the company’s 2019 turnover had in fact been less than £21,000, meaning that Croxton Group Ltd had received almost 10 times more than it had been entitled to under the rules of the scheme.

The company’s liquidators are taking action to recover the money.

Malone and Moir were both banned from being company directors for 10 years, after the Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted disqualification undertakings from each director. Malone’s ban began on 17 July 2023, and Moir’s began on 19 July 2023. Fratev’s court-ordered 6-year disqualification started on 23 June 2023.

The bans prevent the former directors from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. In addition to his ban and two-year suspended sentence, Fratev is also subject to 4 months’ electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 7am, and was ordered to pay court costs of £500.

Police Scotland’s Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls

Police Scotland’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls was presented to the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee yesterday (Monday 17 April).

The strategy is subject to final discussion by the full SPA Board next week.

Based on wide-ranging and unprecedented engagement with the general public, women and girls, survivors of violence, key partners, academics and experts, the strategy builds on the Service’s commitment to improve and future-proof its response.

Proposals within the strategy include:

  • tackling and diverting incel culture through education
  • expanding the use of sexual offences liaison officer (SOLO) led visually recorded interviews (VRI)
  • delivery of trauma-informed training to all police officers and staff

Launching the strategy, Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors, Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to creating a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment.

“Women, girls, and men, have shared their experiences, their thoughts and their views on how we can tackle violence, create a service that is responsive to victims and how we prevent violence against women and girls.

“We have listened and their voices and experiences thread through our strategy.

“They have informed and influenced our approach, our commitment to act and to improve how we tackle the sexual violence and domestic abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.

“We will work with our partners across criminal justice, and support services, to improve the opportunities and support for women to report.

“It is up to us to improve how we respond at that first point of contact. To be compassionate, to listen, to signpost to help, and to ensure women are kept informed from the moment they report.

“We are committed to continually improving the service we provide, to build confidence in reporting and in policing more widely. Our service must be trauma-informed, we will prioritise the needs of victims and survivors.

“As an organisation we are not immune from the sexism and misogyny that is at the root of this violence. Our strategy recognises the work that needs to be done internally.

“Our role is crucial, but policing alone cannot stop violence against women and girls. Our strategy outlines the actions we will take as a service, together with our partners.

“We will continue to engage, to work with our partners, to improve our response and to drive the change needed to end violence against women and girls.”

Access the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

SNP Leadership contenders asked to commit to Safer Ageing in Scotland


Hourglass (Safer Ageing) calls on the SNP leadership contenders to support safer ageing

Hourglass has asked the three contenders for the Scottish National Party leadership to commit to safer ageing and to support older victim-survivors of abuse.

Older people are at risk of becoming victims of physical, financial, sexual or psychological abuse. Many others suffer abuse due to simple neglect. Older people are much less likely to report abuse and when they do the experience can be traumatic.

At present, insufficient data is collected on abuse of older people in Scotland. This lack of information is one reason this issue does not get the attention or resources it desperately needs.

Hourglass have called on the three leadership contenders Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf to commit to the following actions if they become the Scottish First Minister:

1.            Collecting all relevant data on the abuse of older people.
2.            Develop a safer ageing strategy for Scotland
3.            Host a Safer Ageing forum with Hourglass at Holyrood later this year. 

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass said: “The Scottish Government need to take action to prevent abuse of older people.

“The first step is to collect the data on reported abuse. The second is to develop a safer ageing strategy which will outline how the Scottish Government intend to tackle this problem. Thirdly, this is an issue that is seldom talked about. We need the Scottish Government to work with us to raise awareness of this issue.

“Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is the only charity in Scotland that specialises in supporting older victims of abuse. We have nearly 30 years of working in Scotland and throughout the UK and Ireland, where we have continued to see an increase in demand for our services.”

George Foulkes, Hourglass Patron said: “We have an ageing population and the next First Minister of Scotland needs to be to take this seriously.

“The Scottish Government need a safer ageing strategy to protect older people from abuse and neglect.”

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting https://wearehourglass.org/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Charity calls for urgent Government action to combat abuse of older people

At the start of Safer Ageing Week, Hourglass (Safer Ageing) calls on the Government to meet with the charity as calls to helpline surge

After months of trying to secure a meeting with the Safeguarding Minister, delayed due to changes in Ministers and turmoil in the heart of Government, Hourglass is frustrated that the Home Office has now cancelled another scheduled meeting with Minister Sarah Dines for Wednesday 14 December.

The meeting has been cancelled due to the Home Office launching a commercial competition for funding as part of Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG) strategy. Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is the only specialist UK wide charity supporting older victim-survivors of abuse, with 40% of the casework being with older men.

Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, believes there needs to be a separate strategy and funding pool to address abuse of older people, as they have specific needs that a different to other demographics.

Hourglass has seen a 96% increase in calls to its 24/7 helpline this year. It is unacceptable that every request made by the charity to meet with Ministers has fallen on deaf ears when older people are suffering.

On 29 July this year, the Ready for Rishi Campaign made the following commitment to Hourglass: “If he is fortunate enough to be elected as Prime Minister, a Rishi-led government would seek to engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass, in order to ensure that no one is left behind and the needs of all those who need help are met.”

The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign pledge and ensure his Ministers meet with Hourglass to tackle abuse of older people.

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said: “With Safer Ageing Week looming, it is incredibly sad that the charity has had this vital meeting cancelled once again. This is not just disappointing; it is a dereliction of duty.

“We are seeing significant increases in calls to our helpline and casework referrals, yet the government still do not take this issue seriously. 

“The Violence Against Women and Girls strategy is designed to address this important issue. The criteria for VAWG funding applications will obviously be based on addressing violence against women and girls, not abuse of older people which needs a separate strategy and funding model.

“Support to stem sexual violence in the Ukraine was this week confirmed at £3.45 million with an additional £12.5 million to tackle sexual violence in conflict globally. These, like the equally essential child abuse and domestic abuse charities deserve this support, we are simply asking why are older people last in line? The £300k committed to date seems to underline how far towards the bottom of the list of priorities the 2.7m people affected by elder abuse seem to be.”

The charity confirms it will apply for Government funding from their newly announced VAWG grant scheme.

However, with the enormous pressures of the cost of living crisis and a huge spike in calls to the Hourglass 24/7 helpline, the organisation believes it needs to be at the heart of a Safer Ageing Strategy for older people.

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

New laws to better protect victims from abuse of intimate images

Victims will be better protected from abusers who share intimate images without their consent, under a raft of changes to the law announced today (25 November 2022).

  • new offences to be created in crackdown on abusers who share intimate images without consent
  • changes will strengthen law and deliver on Prime Minister’s pledge to outlaw ‘downblousing’
  • comprehensive package of measures to modernise legislation following Law Commission review

Under a planned amendment to the Online Safety Bill, people who share so-called ‘deepfakes’ – explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent – will be among those to be specifically criminalised for the first time and face potential time behind bars.

The Westminster government will also bring forward a package of additional laws to tackle a range of abusive behaviour including the installation of equipment, such as hidden cameras, to take or record images of someone without their consent.

These will cover so-called ‘downblousing’ – where photos are taken down a woman’s top without consent – allowing police and prosecutors to pursue such cases more effectively.

This will deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to criminalise the practice, in line with previous measures this government has taken to outlaw ‘upskirting’.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them.

“Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice and safeguard women and girls from such vile abuse.

Today’s announcement builds on the campaign of Dame Maria Miller MP, as well as recommendations from the Law Commission, to introduce reforms to the laws covering the abuse of images.

The amendment to the Online Safety Bill will broaden the scope of current intimate image offences, so that more perpetrators will face prosecution and potentially time in jail.

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, said: “I welcome these moves by the government which aim to make victims and survivors safer online, on the streets and in their own homes.

“I am pleased to see this commitment in the Online Safety Bill, and hope to see it continue its progression through Parliament at the earliest opportunity.”

Around 1 in 14 adults in England and Wales have experienced a threat to share intimate images, with more than 28,000 reports of disclosing private sexual images without consent recorded by police between April 2015 and December 2021.

The package of reforms follows growing global concerns around the abuse of new technology, including the increased prevalence of deepfakes. These typically involve the use of editing software to make and share fake images or videos of a person without their consent, which are often pornographic in nature. A website that virtually strips women naked received 38 million hits in the first 8 months of 2021.

The government will take forward several of the Law Commission’s recommendations to ensure legislation keeps pace with technology and can effectively tackle emerging forms of abuse.

This includes:

  • Repealing and replacing current legislation with new offences to simplify the law and make it easier to prosecute cases. This includes a new base offence of sharing an intimate image without consent and 2 more serious offences based on intent to cause humiliation, alarm, or distress and for obtaining sexual gratification.
  • Creation of 2 specific offences for threatening to share and installing equipment to enable images to be taken.
  • Criminalising the non-consensual sharing of manufactured intimate images (more commonly known as deepfakes).

The move builds on government action in recent years to better protect victims and bring more offenders to justice, including making ‘upskirting’ and ‘breastfeeding voyeurism’ specific criminal offences, extending ‘revenge porn’ laws to capture threats to share such images, and using the Online Safety Bill to create an offence specifically targeting ‘cyberflashing’.

Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said: “Refuge welcomes these reforms and is pleased to see progress in tackling abuse perpetrated via technology. As the only frontline service with a specialist tech abuse team, Refuge is uniquely placed to support survivors who experience this form of abuse.

“We campaigned successfully for threatening to share intimate images with intent to cause distress to be made a crime, via the Domestic Abuse Act, and these reforms will further ensure police and law enforcement agencies rightly investigate and prosecute these serious offences.

“Tech abuse can take many forms, and Refuge hopes that these changes will signal the start of a much broader conversation on the need for strengthening the response to online abuse and harm.”

DCMS Secretary of State Michelle Donelan said: “Through the Online Safety Bill, I am ensuring that tech firms will have to stop illegal content and protect children on their platforms, but we will also upgrade criminal law to prevent appalling offences like cyberflashing.

“With these latest additions to the Bill, our laws will go even further to shield women and children, who are disproportionately affected, from this horrendous abuse once and for all.

“The government will bring forward the wider package of changes as soon as parliamentary time allows and will announce further details in due course.”

Older Victims of abuse are ‘invisible’ and ‘last in line’ for Government support, says elder abuse charity

Marking International Day for Older Persons, Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is calling on the government to urgently support older victims of abuse as they are currently last in line for funding support, as shown in recent research undertaken by the charity.

The charity, which has the only UK-wide 24/7 elder abuse helpline and casework service, is seeing a marked increase in calls and is hitting crisis point due to the lack of government and statutory funding.

During the last financial year, Hourglass received £326,619 in Government grants. In the same year, fellow inspirational charities like the NSPCC (child abuse) received a government grant of £14.7 million, The Safelives Trust (domestic abuse services) £2.1 million, the Kaleidoscope Diversity Trust (Freedom, Safety and Equality for LGBT+ People) over £1 million and the Dogs Trust (life-changing services for dogs in need) over £5 million.

Hourglass pays tribute to the fantastic work of these life-changing charities but is calling on the government to level the playfield for victims of all ages and across the spectrum of abuse services.

The charity has seen a significant increase in helpline calls, answering 96% more calls in August 2022 than the same month last year, it is also reporting a waiting list for casework services.

At the same time the charity faces significant financial uncertainty with funding for this unique service being put out for commercial tender and £16,000 ‘bridging funding’ from the Home Office nowhere near sufficient to maintain the helpline’s 24/7 operation.

Commenting on this Research, Hourglass CEO Richard Robinson said,
“Our Helpline is receiving more calls than ever before dealing with horrendous and complex cases of abuse against older people, who otherwise feel invisible and under-supported.

“We cannot continue to be last in line for financial support. Charities across the entire spectrum of abuse undertake phenomenal work and deserve all of the support they get, but it is telling that the only charity that supports older victims of abuse receive only a fraction of the support. It is truly unacceptable.

“We are coming to a crunch point. If the Hourglass helpline does not receive adequate funding soon, we will have no choice but to downsize. This is disgraceful given the growing number of older people who need our support. We now need urgent action and dialogue.”

Responding to this research, charity patron Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick said: “We have an ageing population and more vulnerable older people – services like the Hourglass helpline play a vital role in ensuring safer ageing.

“The Government must ensure that funding is made available so that the Hourglass helpline can not only maintain but expand its important service to older people.”