Examining the Dynamics of Online Sexual Abuse: A Crime Script Analysis of Online, Offline and Hybrid Sexual Crime Cases Using Closed-Source Police Data

• In Event: New Developments in Research on IPV and Sexual Abuse in Data-Intense Denmark

Abstract

With the global digitalization of modern societies, the hunting fields of perpetrators of sexual violence have likewise been heavily expanded. The scant amount of research on the nature of online sexual abuse – and how it differs from its offline counterpart – serves as a stark reminder that research often lacks behind even some of the most pressing societal trends and crime developments. In this paper, we focus on grooming, image-based sexual assault, sextortion, flashing, and verbal/written sexual harassment. Data consist of closed-source cases from the Danish National Police, which includes crime reports, transcripts of investigative interviews, chat logs, and court documents. We contrast the crime scripts of online and offline cases to map the sequential phases of these offenses in digital and physical contexts, and their interplay. Results show that online sexual abuse shares features of and integrates with offline sexual abuse, but also that online sexual abuse has distinct characteristics. Findings highlight the interconnectedness of offenses and the complexity of their dynamics, offering valuable insights for crime prevention strategies and policies to combat online sexual abuse.

Authors

• Christopher Kehlet Ebbrecht, University of Copenhagen

• Julie Munch Hjort, University of Copenhagen

• Lars H. Andersen, ROCKWOOL Foundation

• Sidsel Kirstine Harder, University of Copenhagen