Canadian Police Services and Intersectional Identity: Implications for Redress for Adult Cyber-harassment

• In Event: Critical Criminology and Cybercrime

Abstract

Cyber-harassment has been shown to have myriad long-term consequences for individual wellbeing, including decreased self-esteem, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. While the majority of cyber-harassment knowledge focuses on school-based programming, the limited body of literature focusing on older adults (aged 25 and older) indicates that these individuals experience cyber-harassment at similar rates with differential impacts. Furthermore, women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC individuals are more likely to experience targeted cyber-harassment in relation to their gender, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity. The present study examines data from Canadian police service websites (n = 212) and preliminary results from a Canada-wide survey on adult cyber-harassment victimization (n = 1000). This research compares analyses of self-reported help-seeking experiences with the extent to which police webpage content and linked resources represent the diverse identities and needs of adult Canadians. This research discusses how adult cyber-harassment and responsibility for redress are implicitly and explicitly framed by police services and the implications of these findings for adult cyber-harassment victims.

Authors

• Olivia Peters, University of Guelph

• Jocelyn Booton, Wilfrid Laurier University

• Ryan Broll, University of Guelph

• Rosemary Ricciardelli, Memorial University of Newfoundland

• James Popham, Wilfrid Laurier University