We are pleased to announce the second webinar in the new ‘season’ of our DARNet Dialogues, which focuses on conflicts, crises and complexities linked to researching and responding to domestic abuse.
The Dialogues are free public webinars designed to spark conversations between research and practice, with a focus on equity, social justice and practice- and experience-informed research insights.
In line with the theme of this year's 16 Days of Activism, this webinar will bring together local experts specialising in the intersection of technology, ethics and social policy to ask how we can promote digital inclusion while preventing technology-facilitated harms such as image-based sexual abuse, coercive control, harassment and 'e-bile'.
The past two decades have seen exponential growth in the use of digital technologies, and a corresponding increase in the weaponisation of these technologies to cause harm and exert control. Concerningly, a report by Refuge (2021) found that 36% of UK women have experienced online abuse, with 16% perpetrated by current or former intimate partners.
The Online Safety Act (2023) was intended to close gaps in existing legislation and hold technology companies to account, creating safer, fairer online spaces for women and girls. However, there are ongoing concerns regarding the Act's design and implementation, including the complexities of keeping pace with ever-evolving technologies.
Panellists include Dr Joanne Walker, Sarah Rae, Dr Chris Hewes-Lewington and Carolyn Leader.
