Support, Hear, Hope (Shh) (360G-CR-4926236)

We are a charity that operates three sister helplines. The Revenge Porn (RP) Helpline and Report Harmful Content (RHC) help victims, more often than not, female aged 18 to 55 (85%) who are subjected to criminal offences of Intimate Image Abuse (IIA), stalking and harassment online. Although criminal offences, 54% of our victims noted that they have received a negative response from the police when reporting their case. There are low arrest and prosecution rates just 2.26% and 0% respectively (2018 FOI). The common intersection between on and offline harms are not picked up on, patterns of negative behaviour are missed. For many (85%) women, online abuse, including IIA, goes hand-in-hand with other violence, harassment, stalking, coercive control and domestic violence. The research on our sister helplines; RHC and RP Helpline show that two thirds of contact from victims is outside of operational hours. Survey feedback from victims demonstrates the need to receive this support via additional channels and the desire to obtain this information anonymously. Our helplines aren?'t available 24/7, but we want them to be , so people get the advice and support they need around the clock and can confidentially report abuse or discuss their problems. We are looking to technology to help solve this. We will create 'Shh', a bespoke chatbot, to help victims of online harms regain control of the situation any hour of the day, providing another channel of support for those who don?t want to liaise directly with a practitioner. Using intelligent, supportive questioning, 'Shh' will ascertain pertinent information about the types of abuse suffered; giving women the tools they need to help remove intimate content, report crimes and assert legal rights and regain/ secure hacked email and social network accounts. Shh: Support - Support and Understanding, Providing Practical Online Reporting Tips Hear - Helping Everyone experiencing Abuse seek Resolution Hope - Humanising Ongoing Prevention and Education