Research for SWGfL’s new platform, Minerva has shown that perpetrators of online abuse will also often show a pattern of abusive behaviour in real life.
This finding is just part of the research for Minerva, which is due to be launched next Spring with the goal of providing a central platform for victims of online abuse to find help and support. Minerva will enable them to claim back their online spaces and remove harmful or distressing content, signpost to necessary resources, while also identifying and linking patterns of abusive behaviour.
The project is a partnership between SWGfL and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and is being funded by the Tampon Tax Fund
The study, which was undertaken by Dr Katherine Allen and Megan Hermolle at the University of Suffolk, has highlighted the importance of linking online and offline abusive behaviours, as well as the impact on victims, many of whom are women and girls.
A Wider Pattern of Behaviours
The report stated:
Our survey, interview and scoping review findings indicate that women in the UK and beyond experience a range of forms of online abuse, including part of a wider pattern of abusive, coercive, controlling and/or harassing offline behaviours
The research involved surveys with 148 women with lived experience of online abuse, as well as with professionals who work in the field of TFVAWG (Technology Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls) as well as other published research.
The researchers found in other published literature that links between online and offline abuse were commonly mentioned, with findings that included :
- Brem et al. (2017) found high levels of cyber-abuse and cyber-monitoring behaviours in men who had been arrested for domestic violence,
- Dreißing et al. (2014) found that many victim-survivors of cyberstalking reported transitions from online to offline stalking, or vice-versa, suggesting a commonality between online and offline stalkers.
- Douglas et al. (2019) carried out interviews of DA (domestic abuse) survivors aimed at exploring domestic abuse in general. Participants were not asked about TFA (technology facilitated abuse) specifically, but 83% of women volunteered information about experiencing behaviours such as smartphone coercion, IBSA (image-based sexual abuse); social media-abuse, and online harassment, which suggests that victim-survivors consider there to be an intrinsic link between online and offline violence.”
Other abusive behaviours which were investigated in the published research included: breaking or monitoring phones or computers, as well as types of technology used by perpetrators, such as spyware apps and location monitoring. The existence of some apps were used specifically for intimate partner violence, while others have a legitimate purpose such as ‘find my iPhone’ – but which were used to monitor and control.
Also highlighted was a victim’s need for technology, such as phones, email and social media in order to connect with support services or networks to reach out for help, or to collect evidence of abuse. It was noted that some victims are often “less savvy” when it comes to technology compared to their perpetrators.
The study noted:
This duality – whereby perpetrators are able to control and terrorise victim-survivors through practices of digital exclusion and/or digital surveillance or ‘omnipresence’ – highlights the complex nature of TFVAWG and online abuse
SWGfL’s Revenge Porn Helpline manager, Sophie Mortimer agreed with the findings, saying:
Women who use our helpline tell us that those perpetrating abuse are increasingly using technology and digital platforms.
“The ability to weaponise technology outpaces not just the support services, but law enforcement too. The rise of online abuse is particularly overwhelming as it can lead to perpetrator omnipresence.
Minerva will provide all types of support for victims, including StopNCII, Revenge Porn Helpline and Report Harmful Content support service.
