MPs praise Emily Atack for protecting online abuse victims by speaking out
MPs and charities praised Emily Atack for highlighting abuse online — and said she should be “proud” of her courageous work protecting victims.
Tory MP and fellow campaigner Siobhan Baillie met the actress at the Commons last year to discuss her concerns.
She said: “I am grateful to Emily for her work and support to help protect people from online abuse and harassment.
“Raising the profile of cyberflashing has made a huge difference and it has complemented my campaign in Parliament to allow social media users the choice over how to interact with anonymous accounts.”
The MP for Stroud said she was “delighted” that many of her demands had been incorporated into the Government’s new Online Safety Bill, which aims to regulate online content.
She added: “There is still work to do but much progress has been made and Emily should be very proud of her involvement.”
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MP Caroline Nokes, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, also urged ministers to go further to stamp out online abuse.
She said: “If there is one thing that is the troll’s best friend it is anonymity. It is incredibly easy to hide behind a keyboard and a screen when attacking others, whether they be people in the public eye, colleagues, or classmates.
“We need the social media giants to play their part, but we need Government to give the police tools to enable them to force platforms to do so.”
Gabriela de Oliveira, from Glitch, a UK charity committed to ending online abuse, warned that victims did not always “get the support they need”.
She urged ministers to include violence against women and girls in the new legislation, currently going through Parliament.
Ms de Oliveira, Glitch’s head of policy, research and campaigns, said: “The Government’s new Online Safety Bill could be an opportunity to protect women and hold tech companies to account, yet it fails to mention women and girls.”
Seek support
By Jayne Butler, Rape Crisis CEO
ONLINE abuse can often be viewed as less serious than offline abuse, but it is important to remember there is no sliding scale for sexual violence — all forms of it are unacceptable.
If you have experienced online abuse you are not alone and it is not your fault.
Specialist services such as Rape Crisis Centres are there to support you, whether you wish to report abuse or not.
The Government needs to ensure there are measures in place to protect women and girls online, as well as ensuring that those who do report are taken seriously.
For more information and support visit