Abstract
Noelle Martin went from victim, to survivor, to law reform campaigner, to global activist, by discovering the power of the human spirit, the human voice, and the human story, to affect change in this world. This is the story of her fight against technology-facilitated abuse, in particular, image-based sexual abuse, and deepfake abuse, and how she helped bring about, in some small way, law reform across Australia to crimalise this conduct which led to her being awarded Young Western Australian of the Year for 2019, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list honoree. In this chapter, she details her journey and the challenges she faced when speaking out and raising awareness globally about this abuse. In sharing her story, she aims to provide a raw and vulnerable account of what it means to experience, and speak out about, sexual abuse perpetrated online, and its life-long implications for her offline. This story seeks to share a message of hope to those who have or are experiencing technology-facilitated abuse, and empower them to seek help, support, and justice. It also seeks to comment on the broader human implications of advancements in technology to aid lawmakers, policymakers, journalists, academics, and others, in global efforts to tackle this abuse.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge my dear, beloved family for their unconditional love and immense support throughout my life—Leon, Annalise, Naomi, Stephanie, Kimberly, and Lauren. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to Liam Downey, the most selfless and caring human being I know, my rock, my confidante, and a rare gem of a human who has always been there for me from day one and who has this unparalleled way of calming me down whenever I’m in his presence. Tanaya Kar, the most wonderful friend I could ever hope for, whose passion, intelligence, and conviction never ceases to inspire me and who makes life worth living. Mads Duffield, whose strength is incomparable, who I am in constant awe of, and who makes the world an immeasurably better place. Kati Kraszlan, who has been my guardian angel throughout this journey, who took a chance on me and helped me when literally nobody else would. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you, and I am forever in your debt. Mikaela James and Erin Browne, for being beacons of light, comfort, and warmth in my life. Nigel Khine, whose words of kindness and love sustained me in my darkest moments. Zara Bending and Shireen Daft, for being my role models and supporting me amidst the public backlash and ever since. Their love, kindness, and encouragement have meant the world to me. I would also like to thank Drs Asher Flynn, Anastasia Powell, and Lisa Sugiura for the opportunity to share my story and insights. It is uncommon for survivors and activists to be brought to the table, and so I am immeasurably grateful for including our voices in this book.
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Martin, N. (2021). Image-Based Sexual Abuse and Deepfakes: A Survivor Turned Activist’s Perspective. In: Powell, A., Flynn, A., Sugiura, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Gendered Violence and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83734-1_4
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