‘He put the contract in his name to monitor my calls’

A victim of tech-linked domestic abuse speaks out as Refuge warns police are struggling to cope with a huge rise in cases

- JABED AHMED

Jasminder* didn’t realise she was being abused until she left her partner. He controlled her finances, tracked her calls, and sent intimidating messages as their relationship fell apart.

When she needed a new phone, her then-husband told her she had such a terrible credit score, the contract would have to be taken out in his name.

Jasminder had no idea if this was true as he wouldn’t let her access their joint bank account. It was years before she finally broke free. “I have no bruises to show, but he destroyed me in every sense,” she tells The Independent.

Jasminder’s interview comes as The Independent continues its Brick by Brick campaign with the charity Refuge to raise thousands to build safe houses for survivors of domestic abuse. Generous readers and celebrities have so far donated enough to build one home, with money now being raised to build a second.

Her story is one that is becoming increasingly common, as technology-linked domestic abuse soars to unprecedented levels. Campaigners have warned that the police are woefully illequipped to deal with the issue. Refuge defines tech-enabled domestic abuse as including, but not limited to, deepfakes, controlling online access, breaking communications equipment, online harassment, and misuse of tracking devices.

Between August 2022 and July 2023, there were 48,170 violent domestic abuse cases against women and girls that included an online element, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). Of the 4,785 women receiving long-term substantial support from Refuge this year, 1,531 had experienced significant tech-linked domestic abuse, but experts say this is only the tip of the iceberg.