The Nature, Patterns and Consequences of Technology-Facilitated Domestic Abuse: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Women are increasingly at risk of gender-based violence through technology and digital tools. Some digital devices and apps such as GPS location tracking, spyware, mobile phones and social media platforms have become new tools for perpetrators to monitor, harass and abuse victims. However, the nature and impacts of technology on intimate partner violence (IPV) have remained perplexing and ambiguous. Hence, this scoping review was conducted to explore the nature, patterns and consequences of technology-facilitated domestic abuse (TFDA). All journal articles and grey literature exploring the TFDA phenomenon, its nature and impacts on victims and services providers were scanned, and twenty-two papers were included in this scoping review. Overall, findings showed that digital devices, online applications and social media accounts facilitated IPV and exacerbated the consequences of abuse. Yet, many victims and frontline workers found understanding the nature and impacts of TFDA difficult. They faced many challenges addressing this form of abuse. Thus, several strategies are needed to adequately tackle TFDA, including conducting further research on the issue, developing appropriate policy and addressing gender inequality in the online environment.

Keywords: control; digital tools; intimate partner violence; technology; technology-facilitated abuse.