Government Alert caused more angst for domestic violence sufferer’s

[PurpleDisco]

Just heard from a friend who volunteers for a DA shelter that they’ve been inundated with calls today due to the Gov alert yesterday. The main issue being that secret phones that are always on silent mode were suddenly screeching loudly with a siren sound. The emergency siren automatically bypasses silent mode it seems. These secret phones are literally a lifeline for abused women / people and this has put their lives (and possibly children’s) in even more danger than they already were. Can you imagine the abuse and turmoil some women would have gone through last night once these phones were discovered by their abusive partners? Did the Government not think of this increased risk at all?

They have had since the original test to disable it

Exactly. 24 hours prior warning for an emergency alert…I’ve read it all now 😂

You can leave the alerts on but silence the alarm. This is how my phone is set up. Only the highest level alerts will sound the alarm.

All I’m getting from this thread is that more safe houses and support is required for DV victims and their DC to escape to

I haven't got the setting to turn off the sound on my iPhone just the option to disable one or both of them so only extreme alerts is on which is the high level one.

Someone posted this on another thread

I only have severe alerts and extreme alerts on mine. iPhone, iOS 26.6, England, no other buttons, so it may be a different location or iOS version on that phone.

In an ideal world all DV victims would be super organised to the point of adjusting their phone settings to switch off alerts. Realistically most victims are in a constant state of anxiety due to walking on eggshells just to get through a day without being harmed. If it was that simple to just get up and leave then of course they’d do that. Leaving safely takes time and careful planning especially if there are children involved, hence the secret phone. The ‘planning to leave stage’ is one of the most dangerous times for victims so imo DV organisations need to remind victims regularly (maybe by normal text which wouldn’t make a sound on silent) about the importance of switching off alerts. Also, remember not everyone is good with phone settings / technical depending on their age or abilities.

I got the alert this time 3 times in fact but I don't recall having one last year.

YABVU OP.
The welfare of the general population must take precedence.

It's sad that some cannot deal with the fixes listed but the Government can't spoon-feed 100% of the people.

Unfortunately a health and safety alert for the whole or huge parts of the country will always be more important than someone who has a secret phone, for whatever reason that may be.

Yes definitely ban the alerts. Set up a petition.
We should put the entire country at risk to prevent a bit of anxiety to a few people.

You can turn it off if you want. It’s in the settings. The alarm system is a good thing for the vast majority because it can be used to alert to true emergencies, remember these fires are dangerous, but anyone in a vulnerable situation should turn it off

If I had a secret phone it would be switched off to prevent the battery running down, or making a noise when it vibrated, or someone finding it and going through it. And I’ve been a victim of domestic violence, so I know full well if I had the wherewithal to get and hide a secret phone, I’d have the sense to think about things like that.

Sorry but this is really a very small minority of the population. Very sad for them, but the government needs to prioritise the needs of the many rather than the needs of the few. In an emergency situation, they need to be able to reach around 60 million people, and a quick way to do this is via their phones! Hopefully these DV victims will have now learnt to switch off the alert as we’ve had a couple now.

It can be turned off. I had them almost every day, sometimes several times a day, with another message for 'all clear' during the conflict in middle east last March/April. My phone was set so it didn't sound the alarm at night, as I wasn't getting up anyway.

So op you are suggesting people with a wild fire 1/2 a mile away shouldn’t be sent a message with an alarm because some people have secret phones which they haven’t turned off the alarm? There’s a fire so close to me I can smell the smoke and see it if I walk down my road (opposite side of the water which is over a mile wide, I’m not in danger) but it puts it into perspective, alarms save lives

Benefits outweigh the negatives is the key. Most people are not in domestic abuse situations. Not everyone who is in an abuse situation has a secret phone. People who do have a secret phone can switch it off completely, get an old "dumb" phone, or disable notifcations.

So really, you're left with a very small number of people who have done none of that, compared with the overwhelming majority of everyone else.

Although the emergency alarm over-rides being switched off and/or on silent and will still go off.
You would have to switch the option to receive the alarm off in your phones settings.
(someone upthread has done a screenshot of what that typically looks like)

The safety of the majority must be the priority.

That’s really sad.
The DA charities need to stress to victims that they should turn these off on their phones, it seems. Sounds like it should be part of the circulation to advisors. My alert. setting has been switched off since it was announced we’d be receiving thrm.

The whole purpose of a secret phone is to be able to call for help quickly. In the 30+ seconds that it takes to switch it on the abuser could literally break down the door of the room they are in and kill them. Keep a phone fully charged, switched on and accessible is literally advice that saves lives.

Many networks are phasing out 3 and 4 G making them useless. Some already have.

Having a way to turn the alert off would work, but if the DV professionals didn't know this it can't be widely publicised. The government needs to do better if ending violence against women and girls is really a priority.

The whole thing is bullshit. It’s not an emergency unless there is incoming immediate danger. Everything else should be a press conference like the covid announcements. My elderly partially sighted relative was totally freaked out as they couldn’t read the alert so thought it was imminent. I was driving and nearly jumped out of my skin. It was a total misuse of the system.

Switching it off in settings is no guarantee there is anecdotal evidence that it was bypassed people swearing they shut it off only for it to still alert them the only way around it is to turn off the secret phone or only have a dumb phone if you need it to be on for emergencies

This is not victim blaming its keeping victims same

@andweallsingalong ever since thr alert system was announced (a few years ago now) the government and phone companies have promoted how to switch of the alert.
Anti domestic violence organisations should know this. The government has promoted it. The government has made this information available.