The Role of the Tangibility of Harm in Responses to Technology-Facilitated Domestic Violence

• In Event: Advances in Cybervictimization Research

Abstract

Technology-facilitated domestic violence (TFDV) has been identified as a growing issue in Australia, and indeed globally. There have been concerns raised over how police address TFDV, with victim/survivors reporting their experiences may be minimised, or alternatively, there may be inaction towards their reports of TFDV. Drawing from the perspectives of police officers and domestic and family violence practitioners from Victoria, Australia, this presentation will analyse cases where police have actively responded to TFDV. Police may take action through issuing criminal charges or applying for protection orders, which are most the most commonly used mechanism to regulate domestic and family violence. Protection orders involve a criminal/civil hybrid approach, whereby the respondent is required to abide by stipulated conditions of a civil order. However, if this order is breached, it can constitute a criminal offence and may result in criminal charges. The presentation will offer critical insight into how cases of TFDV are prioritised, providing an overview of how the tangibility, detection, and documentation of harm influence police understanding and assessment of TFDV and their subsequent decision to apply for a protection order or charge a person with a criminal offence.

Author

• Jessica Leigh Woolley, Deakin University