Digital partner violence: types, impact on victims, and coping mechanisms

• In Event: Roundtable: DFC and DIC Present - Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Around the World

Abstract

The digitalization has not only facilitated communication between people and within relationships, it has also opened new ways of committing partner violence. Within a collaborative research project between three universities in Belgium, we analyzed six types of digital partner violence: digital harassment, digital surveillance, digital sexual violence, digital economic/financial violence, digital administrative violence and digital violence via children. In this study, conducted in 2024, different forms of digital dating violence and digital partner violence were measured using a survey (N=3093, 18-65 years), focus groups and interviews. In this presentation, we discuss the qualitative results of the study, including interviews with victims (N=8), and focus groups with the police, magistrates of the public prosecutor's office, magistrates of the court, lawyers, and social services (N=54). The results show that digital partner violence is still often perceived as a less harmful form of partner violence and hence receives less attention from the public, social and judicial institutions. Some victims, especially women who have suffered from many other forms of (physical and sexual) partner violence, also minimize the digital forms of violence. Furthermore, there is a need for better support and protection of victims, and technological education for service providers to victims.

Authors

• Mona Giacometti, Université libre de Bruxelles

• Ellen Van Damme, Field Research Coaching & Widener University

• Michel Walrave, Media and ICT in Organisations and Society - University of Antwerp

• Wim Hardyns, University of Ghent

• Koen Ponnet, University of Ghent

• Catherine Van de Heyning, University of Antwerp

• Aurélie Depré, University of Antwerp