The common types of online harm include:
However, you don’t need to know exactly what you are facing before you can get support. Please read further for more information on the available resources.
(1) Take care of your urgent safety needs. The following resources are available 24/7, all days of the week:
(2) Consider saving evidence of what you are going through as soon as possible. Even if you don’t know whether you want to report to the police or take legal action yet, it would be useful to save evidence while it is still available, in case you decide to take action in the future. Evidence can include:
For more information, you may refer to Solid Ground’s Guide on Preserving Evidence.
(3) Consider contacting a support centre to walk through your options. There are possibilities such as working with internet platforms to take down material, making police reports, or pursuing legal action. The following Support Centres can help you walk through these options:
Other Resources:
Generally, the fastest way is for you to get the internet platform to take down the offending material. Most mainstream internet platforms have clear terms of use that do not allow common online harms such as harassment and non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
You may refer to Solid Ground’s Guide on Filing Online Takedowns for Intimate Images. Although written as a guide to filing online takedowns for intimate images, the steps are also generally applicable when applying for takedowns of other kinds of material.
Solid Ground also has useful guides on controlling the information about you available online:
For support with takedowns, you may also approach the SHE Support Centre.
You can get a Protection Order or Expedited Protection Order from the Protection from Harassment Court, which may order the removal of the harmful content.
However,
You can make a police report online or at a police station (search by postal code).
If you are facing immediate threat or danger, you may call the police (999/1800 255 0000) or SMS 71999 if it is not safe for you to talk.
No, the police generally can't order content removal. Their job is to investigate if a crime occurred.
You can file a Magistrate's Complaint, asking the Court to order the police to take more action. Check the Court's guide on filing a Magistrate's Complaint for more information.
If they find a suspect, they may recommend charging the person in court. The accused can then choose to admit or deny the charge. If convicted, the court will determine the sentence (e.g., jail time, fine, community orders).
You might be asked to be a witness, especially if the accused denies the charge. However, there are protections for vulnerable witnesses, like volunteer support and shielding measures. Inform the investigation officer or deputy public prosecutor if you need such support.
Not necessarily. If the case is sensitive, the Court may issue a gag order to protect your identity. A gag order will restrict publication of any information that may lead to your identification. You can read more about gag orders here.
The court also has a witness support programme.
You can also obtain a Protection Order / Expedited Protection Order by filing a claim in the Protection from Harassment Court, under which the Court may also order for the offending material to be removed and for the individual to stop publishing the media.
An overview of the process can be found here.
