Photo by Pharaoh Fontain on Unsplash
Introduction
Technology is greatly influencing how we live our daily lives, it has also become a tool that can be misused to perpetrate harm, particularly in the form of gender-based violence. This article aims to shed light on what Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) entails, the different forms it takes, the challenges faced in addressing it, the impact it has on victims, how victims can take action against it and why it is crucial to address this issue.
What is Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)?
Technology-facilitated violence is the usage of digital tools to commit or enhance violence against individuals or groups of persons based on their gender. As our online and offline lives become more integrated, gender-based violence and its impact now overlap in both physical and digital spaces. Perpetrators of gender violence are now using mobile phones, GPS, tracking devices, social media and other digital tools to exacerbate offline forms of violence including sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, trafficking and sexual exploitation. For instance, with the rise of artificial intelligence, non-consensual sexual images and deepfake videos are created using the AI of victims. A trafficker can also use technology to locate survivors of abuse to inflict further violence. The targets are mostly women and girls and anyone vulnerable to discrimination.
Challenges Faced in Addressing TFGBV
Because of the borderless nature of the internet, Abusers have access to their victims anytime, anywhere even when they’re not physically close to them. And because technology is part of our daily lives and is integrated into almost everything we do, it is nearly impossible for victims to escape such targeted harm as long as the victims use digital technology. In addition, the lack of understanding of technology-based violence by the public and justice systems makes it challenging to address and people have a negative notion that online forms of abuse are not as harmful as abuses that happen in the physical world.
Forms of TFGBV
To better understand the nature of TFGBV, it is important to comprehend the forms through which it manifests. Below are some of the forms of TFGBV.
- Online Harassment: Physical harassment has been amplified using digital means where the abusers monitor their partner’s online behaviours using location apps and stalkerware in other to control the victims, oppress them, and invade their privacy to make them feel watched. The internet provides a platform for individuals to engage in harassing behaviour anonymously, making it easier for perpetrators to target victims with offensive messages, threats, or harmful content.
- Networked Harassment: Campaigns are created using online messaging boards or online social media to target individuals and other groups of people in the form of sexist and threatening attacks by other internet users.
- Image-based abuse: This form of TFGBV encompasses various abusive behaviours, including the non-consensual creation and distribution of intimate images, voyeurism, sexual extortion, unsolicited sexual images, and the use of non-consensually created artificial sexual media, such as deepfakes. It can also involve sharing images and videos taken with prior consent but without the individual’s subsequent consent, often extending from intimate partner violence.
- Stalking and monitoring: Perpetrators engage in stalking and monitoring through the misuse of technology, such as tracking someone’s activities on social media surveilling them by exploiting digital devices or installing stalkerware. This behaviour is frequently repeated and can serve as an extension of intimate partner violence, utilizing modern technologies like smart home devices and drones for monitoring and control.
- Public disclosure of private information and doxing: This form of TFGBV consists of the nonconsensual online publication of private information, such as addresses, phone numbers, or personal documents, leading to further online and offline harassment, violence, and threats. Victims may be forced to change contact information, and legal names, and relocate to escape the threats and abuse.
- Impersonation, including catfishing: Perpetrators use digital technology to assume another person’s identity for malicious purposes, such as accessing private information, exploitation, embarrassment, or fraud. Examples include creating fake social media accounts to groom individuals or engaging in romance scams to deceive and scam others out of money.
- Threats of violence, including rape and death threats: A prevalent type of TFGBV involving a range of threats, including sexual violence and death threats, often posted online or sent through personal messages on social media, calls, texts, or messaging services. Women’s public figures are particularly targeted, and these threats may extend to their children.
- Gendered hate speech: Targeting women, and girls, gendered hate speech is rooted in patriarchy, misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. It ranges from dehumanizing statements to threats and incitements of violence, potentially leading to offline violence against individuals belonging to the targeted groups.
Impact on Victims
The impact of this is enormous as it poses significant health, safety, political and economic consequences to the victims, their families and communities, and society as a whole. People who encounter these forms of violence encounter psychological harm, fear for their physical safety, and worry about getting attacked online for expressing themselves freely and on a broader scale, this also reinforces inequality.
“Nearly 3 out of 4 women globally have experienced some form of online violence.”
UN Women
TFGBV can limit the participation of women and girls online thus increasing the digital gender divide. This is alarming given the fact that 2.9 billion people who remain unconnected to the Internet are women and girls. Young women and girls, who are more likely to use tech for learning, accessing information and connecting to peers, also face increased exposure to online violence. One global study found that 58 per cent of girls and young women have experienced some form of online harassment.
Taking Action Against TFGBV
Photo Credit: WACC
Being a victim of TFGBV can be a harrowing experience, but there are steps that individuals can take to regain control and seek support. Here are some key actions victims can consider.
- Document: It is important to document instances of harassment, threats or any form of TFGBV, this can be done by taking screenshots, saving messages, and noting the date and time of incidence. It is also important to back up such relevant data to ensure availability for legal proceedings or reporting.
- Report: Utilize the reporting mechanism that is available on some of the online platforms. If in Nigeria, you can report to relevant agencies using the contacts below;
- Federal Ministry of Justice
Email: cybercrime.247poc@justice.gov.ng
Phone Number: 09168343706, 09168343707 - Nigerian Police Force Cybercrime Unit:
Calls/sms: 09168343711
Email: interpolnigeria@npf.gov.ng
Whatsapp: 09168343710
- Seek Advice: Get help from legal professionals if you are unsure what to do.
- Prevent: Secure your devices to prevent unauthorized access, strengthen your password, enable two-factor authentication and adjust your privacy settings to control who can view your information. See some tips from the Cybersecurity Education Initiative (CYSED)
- Get Support: Speak to someone you trust such as a friend, family or colleague who can provide you with emotional support.
- Prioritize Self-care: Engage in activities that bring comfort and relaxation, also set clear boundaries online and offline to protect yourself from further harm.
To effectively combat TFGBV, a collaborative and proactive approach is essential from various stakeholders. Technology companies play a pivotal role in this effort by developing transparent and user-friendly content moderation policies specifically tailored to address TFGBV. Civil Society Organizations are encouraged to engage in the collective effort by establishing networks, sharing research, and supporting a global initiative aimed at eradicating this issue. Governments must ensure the existence of practical and accessible avenues for individuals targeted by TFGBV to seek the necessary support and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Conclusion
While technology has improved our lives and offers many benefits, it must not be an instrument of harm, we all deserve safety in the physical and virtual world, and that’s why it’s our collective responsibility to make the internet safe for everyone.
References
Centre for International Governance Innovation (2023). What Is Technology-Facilitated Violence? [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/rmEUwk_5fIg?si=a0g-jjnfLa0Nwz00
Dunn, S. (2020). Forms of TFGBV. In Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: An Overview (pp. 5–16). Centre for International Governance Innovation. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27513.10
ICTWorks. (March 15, 2023). How to Reduce Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence. https://www.ictworks.org/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence/
International Center for Research on Women. (n.d). Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence. https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TFGBV-Collateral.pdf
Plan International. (2020). State of the World’s Girls 2020: Free to be Online? https://plan-international.org/publications/free-to-be-online/
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (2023). Technology Must not be an instrument of harm [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbpDOz1ZwGI
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (n.d). Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: A Growing Threat. https://www.unfpa.org/TFGBV
UN Women. (n.d.). FAQs: Trolling, stalking, doxing and other forms of violence against women in the digital age. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/tech-facilitated-gender-based-violence/