Perpetrators of partner violence are increasingly using digital technology to hurt, control or stalk their victims – something which the police and judicial authorities do not sufficiently recognise.
Two in three adults (aged between 18 and 65) in Belgium have said they felt pressured to send nude photos via dating apps, according to the first Belgian study on digital violence in the context of dating and relationships between (former) partners.
Of the people who sent a nude photo via an app, 60% say they were subsequently threatened with the photo being distributed. 55% indeed had intimate photos distributed without their consent.
The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men, which published the study, called the results "worrying" and stated that digital violence appears to be "a common phenomenon."
Digital tools as weapons
People who are dating, partners, and ex-partners frequently use digital tools and platforms as weapons to commit partner violence.
This includes sending unwanted dick pics or bombarding someone with WhatsApp messages at all hours of the day and night, but also tracking a partner via stalkerware on their smartphone, or secretly monitoring their finances via banking apps.
"We must recognise technological developments and take appropriate measures to better protect and support victims of this digital violence," said Liesbet Stevens, deputy director of the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
"Victims must be able to trust that their complaints will be taken seriously by the police, the judiciary and the emergency services," she stressed.
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The Institute found that both women and men are affected by this violence, while young adults (aged 18-30) and those belonging to the LGBTQ+ community are particularly vulnerable.
Additionally, digital violence often occurs from the beginning of the relationship or during dating – and sometimes continues after a breakup. "Digital control is sometimes confused with romantic concern, but it can be a precursor to a potentially toxic and violent relationship," said Stevens.
Young adults and those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are particularly vulnerable to digital violence because they are more likely to use online media when entering into and maintaining relationships and when dating.
For them, this violence can also be accompanied by specific risks, such as outing someone or the misuse of sensitive personal data – further increasing their vulnerability.
Few reports
Despite it being a common phenomenon, few complaints are filed with the police: depending on the type of violence, only 2.5% to 5.1% of victims reported it to the authorities.
They indicated that this is out of fear of the consequences, threats from their (ex-)partner or the fear that the police will trivialise the facts.
To better protect victims, the Institute stressed the need to raise awareness to inform the general public (and professionals) about the forms of digital violence and the criminal penalties that apply to them through targeted campaigns.
Field actors should also be trained to integrate this digital dimension into the compulsory training courses for the police, the judiciary and the emergency services.
Support for victims should also be improved by ensuring an integrated approach to digital violence within victim support services, including technical support (device security, content removal). Lastly, the collection of evidence should be facilitated by providing simple and GDPR-compliant tools to help victims document the facts.
The full study is available in Dutch and French on the Institute's website.
