Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect victims of abuse from being stalked through applications placed on their phones.

Stalking is an insidious crime that has a deep and significant impact on victims’ wellbeing. Both online and offline, perpetrators leave victims feeling constantly at risk and looking over their shoulder. This Government is committed to ensuring that victims are supported. In March this year the Stalking Protection Act obtained Royal Assent – it introduces Stalking Protection Orders, which will provide protection to people who are stalked online and by phone, as well as offline. The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, operated by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which helps victims of all methods of stalking.

On 16 July we introduced our Domestic Abuse Bill which sets out our intention to transform the response to domestic abuse, including the risk of technology being used to perpetrate abuse. We published the Government Online Harms White Paper on 8 April which sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. This covers a broad range of online harms, including cyberstalking.

The Government has provided Refuge with £250,000 of funding through the Tampon Tax Fund to provide specialist nationwide support to staff and survivors who experience technologically facilitated abuse. We have also provided Northumbria PCC with £646,000 through the Home Office Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Service Transformation Fund for a project which includes work to tackle cyberstalking.