Policing technology-facilitated sexual violence against adult victims: police and service sector perspectives

To date, the majority of attention to technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) in both policy and practice has been on child sexual exploitation and abuse. Far less attention has been paid to digital sexualised violence against adult members of the population. The aim of this paper is to examin...

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Published in:Policing & society Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 291 - 307
Main Authors: Powell, Anastasia, Henry, Nicola
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 24.03.2018
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Abused children
adult victims
Attention
Behavior
Child abuse & neglect
Child sexual abuse
Children
Communications technology
Criminal law
Cyberbullying
Domestic violence
Exploitation
Internet
Law enforcement
Legal services
Offenses
Police
Policing
Pornography
Revenge
Sanctions
Service industries
Sex crimes
Sexual abuse
Sexual harassment
Sexual violence
Sexuality
Sexualization
Technology
Unlawful
Victims
Victims of crime
Violence
ISSN:1043-9463, 1477-2728
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:To date, the majority of attention to technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) in both policy and practice has been on child sexual exploitation and abuse. Far less attention has been paid to digital sexualised violence against adult members of the population. The aim of this paper is to examine police responses to these serious and emerging harms, which we identify as including the following: (1) online sexual harassment; (2) gender and sexuality-based harassment; (3) cyberstalking; (4) image-based sexual exploitation (including 'revenge pornography'); and (5) the use of communications technologies to coerce a victim into an unwanted sexual act. While these are variously criminal offences, unlawful civil behaviours or not subject to criminal or civil sanctions or remedies, we claim in this paper that they exist on a continuum of violence and yet the 'real' harms of TFSV are frequently minimised in practice. Drawing on 30 stakeholder interviews with police, legal services and domestic and sexual violence service sector providers, we explore the issues, challenges and promises of law enforcement in this area. We argue that greater attention must be paid to recognising the serious harms of digital abuse and harassment; the role of criminal law in responding to these behaviours; and the importance of investing in police resources to adequately tackle these growing behaviours in a constantly shifting and amorphous digital era.
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ISSN:1043-9463
1477-2728
DOI:10.1080/10439463.2016.1154964