Technology-Facilitated Domestic and Sexual Violence: A Review

Abstract

This article investigates the phenomenon of domestic and sexual violence against adult women using digital communications technologies. The article explores terminological and conceptual challenges and describes the empirical research literature in this field to date in relation to digital dating abuse, intimate partner cyberstalking, technology-facilitated sexual assault, image-based sexual abuse, and online sexual harassment. The article also discusses policy and practice responses to this growing problem, as well as future directions for research. We argue that research and practice need to be guided by existing conceptual frameworks that utilize gender and actor–network theory to understanding the causes and consequences of women’s experiences of abuse and violence facilitated by digital technologies.

The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on Australian domestic and family violence services and their clients

“…Victims of DFV reported to DV workers they were experiencing increased isolation, increased sense of vulnerability, inability to seek outside help being forced to co‐habitat with abuser during lockdown, increased fear of monitoring by abuser and increased surveillance and increased use of technology to intimidate (see Figure 4 ). Technology‐assisted gender violence is another weapon used by abusers to further control, surveil and micro‐manage their partners or ex‐partners (Harris, 2020 ; Henry et al, 2020 ). It was not surprising that service providers reported accessing safe digitial communiciations was an issue for their clients locked down with their abuser.…”

Gender differences in videoed accounts of victim blaming for revenge porn for self-taken and stealth-taken sexually explicit images and videos

“…It is also worth acknowledging that many researchers also incorporate revenge porn into wider acts of digitally-mediated sexual misconduct. It has, for example, been included under the umbrella term of technologically mediated sexual violence , been called image based sexual abuse (e.g., Henry et al, 2020), referred to as non-consensual pornography (Eaton & McGlynn, 2020;Uhl et al, 2018) and has been placed on a continuum of image-based sexual abuse (McGlynn et al, 2017). For review of the debate around the labelling and names given to various sexual violence and sexually abusive acts, please see Henry et al (2020) and McGlynn et al (2021).…”

“…It has, for example, been included under the umbrella term of technologically mediated sexual violence , been called image based sexual abuse (e.g., Henry et al, 2020), referred to as non-consensual pornography (Eaton & McGlynn, 2020;Uhl et al, 2018) and has been placed on a continuum of image-based sexual abuse (McGlynn et al, 2017). For review of the debate around the labelling and names given to various sexual violence and sexually abusive acts, please see Henry et al (2020) and McGlynn et al (2021). Given that the reported work very specifically tested acts of the unauthorised sharing of SEM that constitute specific acts of revenge porn, and in line with the UK legal system and laws relating to revenge porn, the current work will retain the term revenge porn to convey both videoed and imaged sexually-explicit material that has been either shared with others or made public without consent.…”

Can Prosuming Become Perilous? Exploring Systems of Control and Domestic Abuse in the Smart Homes of the Future

“…There are many forms of technology facilitated abuse and the rapid development of ICTs generate ever-changing patters of these (see Table 1). These include technology facilitated sexual violence (TFSV), which uses "cell phones, email, social networking sites, chat rooms, online dating sites, and other communications technologies" to enable rape or sexual assault (Henry, Flynn, and Powell 2020;p 1836). Digital dating abuse, another serious offence, consists of a "pattern of behaviours that control, pressure, or threaten a dating partner using a cell phone or the Internet (Reed, Tolman, and Ward 2016;p 1556)" (see also Hinduja and Patchin 2020).…”

“…Terminology note: Similar toHenry, Flynn and Powell (2020) we have decided to use the term "victim" in our article over "victim-survivor" although we recognized the latter is favoured when dealing with domestic violence issues. However, we used the term "victim" since in our study uses a number of conjoined terms such as but not limited to "technology-facilitated domestic, cyberstalking, and digital dating abuse".…”