Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Public and Private Spheres: Moving from Enemy to Ally

Abstract

While research on digital dangers has been growing, studies on their respective solutions and justice responses have not kept pace. The agathokakological nature of technology demands that we pay attention to not only harms associated with interconnectivity, but also the potential for technology to counter offenses and "do good." This chapter discusses technology as both a weapon and a shield when it comes to violence against women and girls in public spaces and private places. First, we review the complex and varied manifestations of technological gender violence, ranging from the use of technology to exploit, harass, stalk, and otherwise harm women and girls in communal spaces, to offenses that occur behind closed doors. Second, we discuss justice-related responses, underscoring how women and girls have "flipped the script" when their needs are not met. By developing innovative ways to respond to the wrongs committed against them and creating alternate systems that offer a voice, victims/survivors have repurposed technology to redress harms and unite in solidarity with others in an ongoing quest for justice.

Portrait of Cyber Sexual Violence Understanding on Indonesia Millennials

“…Technology is both a weapon and a shield when it comes to violence against women and girls in public spaces and private places (Marganski & Melander, 2021). The development of the digital world with its various characteristics turns out to be prone to encourage onlinebased sexual violence.…”

Effect of Distance and Direction on Distress Keyword Recognition using Ensembled Bagged Trees with a Ceiling-Mounted Omnidirectional Microphone

“…This idea has been explored for outdoor surveillance [8] and should be extended to indoor environments when video surveillance is not viable [17][18][19]. Places like shared bathrooms and nursery rooms should be equipped with audio surveillance to reassure safety [20][21].…”

“Weaponized sexuality” to the normalization of sexual violence: Rape culture and the nonconsensual distribution of intimate imagery (NCDII)

“…There were themes of generalized acceptance and normalizing sharing for the purposes of engaging with peers. This finding adds to the literature which discusses the importance of interventions which reinforce the unacceptability of NCDII and acts of non-consent in all contexts/spaces (Marganski & Melander, 2021;Marques, 2021).…”

“…Responses. There are also victim/survivor centered movements to respond to NCDII, which include social groups 10 , pages, and online influencers who use technology to express disdain for online violence (Marganski & Melander, 2021;Broadbent & Thompson, 2021). 9 An example being Project Arachnid, a tool which searches the clear and dark web for child sexual abuse material (Canadian Centre for Child Protection, 2022).…”