Federal MP spoke in parliament on Monday about the ways in which new technologies are being used to .
This abuse, he suggests, often happens in domestic violence situations. It is also happening in new ways, such as via “”, to which our current laws are unable to respond effectively.
This comes in light of a of the ways communications technologies are used to perpetrate violence against women.
But is it the case that the harms of new technologies might outweigh any good?
Growing problem
My colleagues and I have written previously on the harms of , when intimate images are shared without consent.
Beyond the regrettable actions of a jilted lover seeking what they perceive as revenge, we identify the ways these images are used to humiliate, harass and threaten victims.
In some instances, private sexual images are used as a tool to control women in already violent relationships, or as a kind of blackmail to coerce them in sexually abusive situations.
In a separate study, we aged 18 to 54, and found that threats, sexual harassment and the non-consensual sharing of nude or semi-nude images .
Our analysis of further suggests that the criminal law has yet to catch up with these emerging forms of abuse.
Social media, mobile phone applications and digital communications are all being used to monitor, track and harass victims of partner violence. This is an issue affecting through their lifetime.
In , 98% of the 546 participants reported that their clients had experienced technology-facilitated stalking and abuse.
Equally disturbing are rapidly emerging forms of . Women, it seems, are subjected to threatening, aggressive and violent speech for no other reason that being .
More than a ‘tech’ problem
There is a role for technology companies and developers in combating technology-facilitated abuse of women. and announced last year, for instance, that they would allow users to report revenge porn victimisation, so that the images could be blocked from internet searches.
Less helpful is advice to women to stay offline, and in the first place.
Like , and , such advice only reinforces victim-blaming and fails to tackle the social causes of the problem.
That’s not to say individuals aren’t able to, or shouldn’t be able to, choose to take actions that might make them safer. Rather, we need to recognise the unjust impact on women as a social group, if they are expected to bear the responsibility for other people’s abusive behaviour.
Because ultimately, it is not technology that is harming to women, it is people using technology to harm women. And like the sexual violence, street harassment and partner abuse that is directed at women face-to-face, it appears as though much (though not all) of the sexual violence, threats, harassment, stalking and abuse women experience via technology is at the hands of .
In other words, technology is not doing more harm than good; those people who choose to harass, threaten, stalk and abuse are doing the harm. Communications technology may just be providing us with a clearer window into that underlie .
The good news
The good news is that if technology is a tool, then it can be used by people for good. And there are some great examples of people driving innovation in technology as well as advocating for social change to stop the abuse of women both online and face-to-face.
Free smartphone applications and websites such as , and , provide information, support and anonymous reporting options for Australian victims of abuse. Survivors of violence are also sharing their experiences online in emerging, safe and supportive spaces, such as .
Many have spoken out and taken action to .
Anti-violence activism has taken on new forms, connecting women from across the globe to “” and bringing into the digital age. The variety of communications media and tools available now are helping spread the message far and wide that violence is never acceptable.
Our challenge, then, is to take all these amazing tools and opportunities and convert them into real policy action to move ever closer to a future free of violence and abuse.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
Anastasia will be on hand for an Author Q&A between noon and 1pm AEDT on Thursday, February 11, 2016. Post your questions in the comments section below.
Anastasia Powell receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Criminology Research Council. She is speaking tonight at a public panel discussion hosted by the Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe) at The University of Melbourne, on the theme: 'Does Technology do more good than harm?'
