Cases of Cyber Violence Against Women Are Increasing

The danger behind this is often underestimated, as shown by a published study by researchers from FH Campus Wien and the Center for Social Research and Science Didactics (ZSW). More awareness and knowledge need to be created, experts demanded at a press conference on Wednesday in Vienna.

Increase in Cases of Cyber Violence Against Women in Austria

The study "(No) Space. Cyber Violence Against Women in (Ex-)Relationships" was presented. Research was conducted over three years. The researchers interviewed affected individuals and experts and also analyzed complaint files under §107c - cyberbullying - of the Criminal Code (StGB). For "persistent harassment via telecommunications or a computer system," the StGB provides for a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine of up to 720 daily rates. The results show that institutions such as the police, courts, or women's counseling centers, as well as close relatives, often do not perceive cyber violence as a real threat and thus offer insufficient support to those affected.

"Cyber Violence is Still Largely Downplayed in Society"

"Cyber violence is still largely downplayed in society, but it is very dangerous and can be severe," said Magdalena Habringer, project leader of the study and researcher and lecturer at FH Campus Wien. She highlighted the dynamics of cyber violence in the context of relationships: "If the perpetrator is or was the partner, the likelihood is higher that he knows the passwords of the affected person and thus has access to devices, data, and accounts that a stranger would not easily have. Additionally, there are often dependencies or shared children that make separation or seeking help difficult," she reported.

Digital Assaults are Often Downplayed in Society

In addition, there is the societal downplaying of digital assaults. How strongly victims of cyber violence are affected was made clear in interviews with 15 affected women. "Especially at the beginning, cyber violence is difficult to recognize as such. Some respondents and their social environment initially believed that the constant question 'Where are you, what are you doing?' was an expression of love," reported Habringer. Digital assaults can take different forms. "Our study shows that cyber violence is mostly sexualized. Nude photos are often published, or there is sexualized humiliation on social media - sometimes also under manipulation of the women's social environment," said the project leader. The perpetrators do not possess particularly "great technical knowledge," "everyday applications are sufficient to be able to exercise cyber violence," said Habringer. They often also know the password, "which alone is enough." As an example, she mentioned the case of a woman where the perpetrator created a profile on an escort service in the woman's name and offered sexual services. The woman did not know for a long time why she was receiving so many messages.

One Third of Respondents Were Monitored Using Stalkware

A third of the respondents stated that they had been monitored using stalkerware. Some of them had concrete evidence and proof of this, while for others it remained a suspicion, as the perpetrator inexplicably knew a lot and (at least in the past) had access to their smartphone and high technical skills. "Sometimes victims only express suspicions or vague perceptions about their experiences during counseling. The strategy of many perpetrators is precisely to manipulate the victims' perception," reported Nina Wallner, a social worker at the Violence Protection Center Burgenland. "In practice, we increasingly experience that technical aids are being misused," she said, recounting the case of a woman where it was recently discovered that "the smart vacuum cleaner made eavesdropping possible." The clients "very often communicate the suspicion that there is constant monitoring, that locations are known, that information from conversations is known." Feelings must be taken seriously, "victims need support." Often they come "to counseling with a vague perception or suspicion and cannot yet name cyber violence," said Wallner.

Friends of the Victims Often as Accomplices in Cyber Violence

As the study also revealed, people in the environment were partially made accomplices, for example, when friends of the victims began to insult them because of those nude pictures that the perpetrator had published," said Habringer. "For women affected by cyber violence, it is difficult to find a safe retreat without having to completely give up the smartphone or social media. This is a significant characteristic of cyber violence," said the researcher. For women, a feeling of powerlessness set in. "Even if they were physically safe, the internet knows no boundaries," said the scientist. Some women felt they could no longer trust anyone, saw no way out, "and have also attempted suicide."

Increased Resources Needed at Police Against Cyber Violence

To address technological developments and appropriately sanction cyber violence, both additional IT support and increased personnel resources at institutions such as public prosecutors and police would be necessary. "Securing evidence in cases of cyber violence is challenging and time-consuming. Digital attacks are sometimes difficult to grasp and multifaceted," reported Wallner. Particularly important are, on the one hand, the networking between the responsible institutions to find a common approach to cyber violence in the relationship context and, on the other hand, the societal discourse to raise awareness of the issue.

Cyberbullying Reports Analyzed in Study

Cyberbullying reports were also analyzed for the study. According to this, 47 percent of the examined cyberbullying reports were filed by women against their (ex-)partners. The majority of these women also reported additional offenses, such as dangerous threats. According to the experts, the file analysis also confirms some of the previous assumptions by showing that cyberbullying in the relationship context affected women of different ages and was mostly carried out in a sexualized manner.

Victims can contact the violence protection centers. The Federal Association of Violence Protection Centers can be reached at 0800-700-217.

(APA/Red)

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