In an era where technology is deeply woven into daily life, it has also become a new frontier for gender-based violence. This blog series, accompanying the Sounds About Right podcast episodes, focuses on "Digital Harm, Real Impact: Understanding and Addressing Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in West and Central Africa." The project originated as an in-depth research assignment in Professor Nabaneh’s Gender, Women’s Rights and Global Politics course. It is a collaborative effort between the University of Dayton Human Rights Center and UN Women West and Central Africa, aiming to translate academic findings into meaningful advocacy and action against Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TF-VAWG).
Understanding the impact of data and knowledge gaps on addressing technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF VAWG)
To conclude our time studying Gender, Women's Rights, and Global Politics, my peers and I have been asked to participate in the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign. More specifically, we have been researching the lack of information and data available on the issue of targeted digital violence against women. The 16 Days of Activism campaign is an internationally recognized event established to help facilitate and encourage deeper discussions on various forms of gender-based violence (GBV). The official theme of the 2025 campaign focuses on the topic of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF VAWG).
UN Women defines TF VAWG as an act that utilizes information communication technologies to harm or infringe on the rights and freedoms of women. This type of violence can take many forms, such as cyberbullying, exploitation, harassment, stalking, defamation, and more. Although this topic is primarily focused within the online sector, there are still many offline implications that allow digital harm to carry over into the daily lives of women and girls. The Women’s Aid organization found that 45% of women who have reportedly experienced domestic violence have also been subjected to abuse through technology. Continued digital attacks suppress women’s voices and can ultimately discourage women from seeking out certain professions, especially within the political field. TF VAWG contributes to the systematic exclusion of women from leadership positions.
The intersectionality of this subject means that minority populations are more vulnerable. For example, women of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women with disabilities are more likely to experience TF VAWG. Geographical location is another factor that contributes to the inequality of this issue. For our project, we are focusing on the West and Central Africa (WCA) region. The availability of technology in WCA countries is expanding much faster than awareness and research related to TF VAWG. Therefore, women living in this area of the world are less equipped to push back against digital violence.
One of the most apparent data gaps we identified is the lack of standardization surrounding TF VAWG definitions and research methods. It was not until 2022 that UN Women eventually took the opportunity to facilitate a meeting with stakeholders to discuss and define the issue with experts from a variety of fields, including government officials, civil society leaders, researchers, and more. However, this definition is yet to be actively accepted and recognized by many institutions. Without this consensus, it is much more difficult to develop policies and conduct studies that can be compared at the global level. The lack of representative studies on TF VAWG is a clear demonstration of this issue. UN Women attributes this to the idea that a majority of research frameworks on TF VAWG have been developed in high-income countries, but have not been adapted to apply within other contexts. This has created a research bias towards the Global North and a shortage of reliable TF VAWG studies focusing on the WCA region. These challenges ultimately result in a significant knowledge gap between nations.
As I spent time researching for this project, I was able to see firsthand how little research there is on TF VAWG in WCA. My individual experiences have contributed to the development of my group's recommendations for action as well. My participation in academic research has taught me the importance of utilizing concise, standardized language and the value of representative data. Both the scientific accuracy and social equity of a human rights study are entirely dependent on the researcher's ability to gather information. Especially when addressing issues such as TF VAWG that are so grounded in intersectionality, inclusive data collection methods are essential for successful research.
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Kelsey is a University of Dayton undergraduate student majoring in Sustainability, with minors in Environmental Geosciences and Political Science.