DIGNITEAS - Challenges of tackling digital violence against women in police work, criminal procedure, and support services

Digital technologies make social interactions and communication easier, but they also enable different criminal and violent acts. Smartphones, computers, social media services and email can also be used for threatening, controlling, harassing, and disgracing.

The digitalization of the lifestyle and the development of communication technologies have changed the forms and consequences of violence against women. Partner abuse and post-separational persecution are increasingly happening via technology, women who are vocal on the internet experience systematic harassment, disgracing and threatening, intimate pictures get spread online without permission, online discussions are prevailed by sexist and misogynous comments and threats of physical and sexual violence. The seriousness and significance of the change is reflected in GREVIO's recent recommendations on the "digital dimension" of violence against women.

The main goal of this project is to produce information about the characteristics of digital violence against women, its prevalence, and the progress of cases in criminal proceedings. Alongside the analysis of the material required by the main objective, a procedure will be built to monitor the change in cases of digital violence (against women) brought to the police. The project will generate new information that can be used in police degree and in-service training, in the in-service training of prosecutors and in the strategy work of the authorities.