New policy briefing calls for action to Tackle Online Abuse of Disabled People in Northern Ireland

A new policy briefing launched this week as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week 2025 calling for cyber-victimisation to be formally recognised within public health and disability policy. This briefing outlines a coordinated, cross-sector response involving health services, advocacy organisations, and justice agencies. 

Led by Dr Zhraa Alhaboby and supported by the British Academy, this 2024 study of 113 disabled adults in Northern Ireland reported 30.09% of participants experiencing cyber-victimisation, and 23.01% specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported incidents included harassment, intimidation, and the unauthorised sharing of private health and political information. 

From these findings, the report suggests short, medium and long term recommendations to improve experiences for disabled people now while ensuring changes are secured in the long term. 

The full briefing is available here.