Gender-equality advocacy group Aware will fund and pilot two projects that will help victims of image-based sexual abuse.

One project will develop an online platform with resources for such victims, while the second aims to evaluate existing measures and practices and make recommendations to best help victims.

Both projects were selected from 23 entries in the Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt contest, organised by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)on Nov 25 last year after it observed a rise in cases of sexual violence perpetuated through digital technology.

Reported cases tripled from 46 in 2016 to 124 in 2018. These include cases of image-based sexual abuse, where private sexual images are created, attained or shared without a victim's consent.

The first project Aware selected aims to address the lack of relevant local information for victims of image-based sexual abuse. It is helmed by Ms Catherine Chang and Ms Holly Lynn Apsley, both 24 and researchers at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities.

They are working with a group of National University of Singapore students to set up a resource website for victims, with information on how to take action against their perpetrators. This includes guidelines on making a request for removal of published images, and applying for a non-publication order to legally restrict publication of the offensive images, particularly on digital media. "Since the Internet is the first place many of us turn to when we need help, we felt that there was an urgent need for such a place online, where we could turn our latest research into a usable public resource," said the pair in a statement.

The second project will evaluate the recourse available to victims and make recommendations to improve the system and practices.

Led by Ms Lee Yi Ting, a 30-year-old freelance researcher, writer and security trainer, the research project will entail a series of structured interviews with victims to understand their experiences and the impact of their chosen recourse.

Both projects will receive funding of $3,840 and $4,800 respectively, and their leaders will be mentored for a pilot phase of six months this year. The projects will then be evaluated for their impact on Nov 25.

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Aware executive director Corinna Lim said yesterday: "The digital platforms on which these forms of sexual violence occur often determine how they are addressed, but we need holistic, community-based solutions instead, which these young problem-solvers have identified,"

"It's fantastic to see energetic young problem-solvers identifying these survivor-centric gaps in the landscape."