Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: What It Is and How To Help

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Technology is increasingly used by abusers to perpetrate sexualized violence and abuse. However, individuals who work in traditional anti-sexual violence support positions may be unfamiliar with these forms of violence or not know how to support students being victimized in these ways. This workshop offers an introduction to the issue of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) and abuse. It will define what this term means and describe various forms of it. The presenters will cover forms of TFSV that occur in close relationships, such as between intimate partners or friends, and TFSV in broader social groups, such as attacks in digital classrooms or on social media by classmates, acquaintances, or strangers. Following a description of the issue, specific example situations, and discussion about the harms caused by TFSV, the workshop will share various resources related to supporting victim-survivors. This will include TFSV safety-planning considerations, links to organizations with practical information and tip sheets, and other helpful guidelines for people experiencing TFSV and those providing support to them.

Bios:

Suzie Dunn (she/her) is an assistant professor at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law and a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa. Her research centres on the intersections of equality, technology, and the law, with a specific focus on technology-facilitated violence, deepfakes, and impersonation in digital spaces. She sits on the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund’s Technology Facilitated Violence Project committee, is an associate member of the Centre for Law Technology and Society, and is a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation. You can find her on Twitter @SuzieMDunn or on her website: www.suziedunn.com

Cynthia Khoo (she/her) is a Canadian technology and human rights lawyer and an associate at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C. She is also a research fellow at the Citizen Lab (Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto) and a member of the board of directors of the Open Privacy Research Society. Her work focuses on how the internet and emerging technologies impact historically marginalized groups, including issues such as platform liability for online abuse, algorithmic decision-making (in criminal, civil, and commercial contexts), and worker surveillance. Follow her on Twitter at @cyn_k or visit her website at www.tekhnoslaw.ca.

This event is free. To ensure we have an inclusive and welcoming environment for all, we’ve added registration to all our sessions.

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