News Update!

Technology and Violence Against Women: The Double Edge Sword

March 13, 2014

On March 11, thestar.com posted a thoughtful article highlighting the diverse ways in which technology and social media are being used to simultaneously aid and hinder women experiencing abuse and domestic violence in Canada. Author Jennifer Hough notes that on the one hand, front line workers in the Violence Against Women sector are able to use sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to track children at risk, locate absentee fathers, collect hard evidence required in legal cases and create social media awareness campaigns. At the same time, technology has created a vast space where new forms of VAW can be perpetrated, most often anonymously and at-a-distance. Lisa Tomlinson, the current supervisor of an Intake Domestic Violence Team at the Childrens Aid Society of Toronto elaborated in this article stating:

We have huge problems with women being stalked and traced through Facebook&.We see women who are given phones by a spouse as a tracking device. Part of our safety plan is to show women how to disable that. We've had men who've opened up pages just to intimidate a woman and you think if they are doing that, what else are they doing?

Tomlinson most recently returned to WomanACT as the co-chair of the Board of Directors and facilitated one of the panel discussions at the Supporting Survivors by Supporting Staff (SSxSS) conference, which ran on March 4th and 5th. During her workshop, Tomlinson, along with Greg Babcock, provided an overview of men who use violence, their common behaviours, and some of the strategies workers could use when intervening in order to maximize victims safety.

The ways in which technology has enabled perpetrators to access, stalk, harass and impersonate women, is an important topic being discussed and explored by all members of the VAW sector. Andrea Gunraj, a Communications Specialist at METRAC, illustrated this disturbing and prevalent phenomenon at a workshop she facilitated also during the SSxSS conference entitled, New Forms of Violence Against Women. The End Violence Against Women Week in Toronto website has a detailed review of Gunrajs presentation for those who are interested in this topic.

Overall, as The Star article states in its title, technology has added a layer of complexity to social work. Moreover, service providers and organizations are encouraged now more then ever to carefully consider the ethical implications and dilemmas that arise when using social media to connect, research and inform intervention tactics. For further information we invite you to read more by clicking on the links provided below.

Toronto Star Article: http://www.thestar.com/life/2014/03/11/social_networks_add_layer_of_complexity_to_social_work.html

End Violence Against Women in Toronto Blog: http://www.womanactsendviolenceagainstwomenweek.com/blog.html

Information on SSxSS workshops and facilitators: http://www.womanactsendviolenceagainstwomenweek.com/march-4th-workshops.html

http://www.womanactsendviolenceagainstwomenweek.com/

Type of News Item: News

Category/Topic of interest:
Woman Abuse

Population Group:
Others

Language of News Item:
English