By Marc-André Argentino, Adnan Raja & Aoife Gallagher

Since QAnon’s rise to prominence, several high-profile celebrities have found themselves at the centre of the movement’s conspiratorial narratives, and therefore, the focus of coordinated harassment campaigns, brigading, dogpilling, slander and hate. This has led researchers who examine the digital information ecosystem to ask whether QAnon-coordinated harassment operates like other forms of targeted hate and harassment online, and specifically, whether vulnerable identity groups are faced with particularly egregious experiences. In this report, based on analysis conducted in early 2021, and examining upwards of 9 million posts and mentions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, we examine the role of gender-based violence against celebrities who were of particular significance to the QAnon community’s conspiracy theories in late 2019 and into the end of 2020: Chrissy Teigen, Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Jussie Smollett and Oprah Winfrey. The resulting analysis confirmed the suspicion that the most prominent type of harassment came in the form of brigading individual targets with accusations and slanderous mentions of paedophilia, often with graphic and disturbing language in their accusations.

Amman: Berlin: London: Paris: Washington DC: Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2022. 32p.

Sexual Assault Unit Assessment: New York Police Department: Final report

By James Markey, Hannah Feeney, Kevin Strom, Amy Durall

Law enforcement’s response to sexual assault directly impacts the ability to deliver justice for victims through the criminal justice system and prevent future crimes. Creating a comprehensive, sustainable practice for addressing sexual assault can improve an agency’s investigative response and case outcomes, which, in turn, can benefit individual victims and their communities. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is responsible for providing public safety services for 8 million citizens across five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island), as well as the city’s many visitors. The NYPD strives to provide a consistent process that coordinates agency-wide efforts across the boroughs and designated patrol precincts. The NYPD has numerous community and government partners including District Attorney’s offices in each borough, as well as medical providers and advocacy agencies. In 2021, the NYPD contracted with RTI International to assess its response to sexual assault. Through this project, RTI finalized plans to provide NYPD with an independent and comprehensive review of the agency’s response and investigation of adult sexual assault cases. All assessment activities took place between April 2021 and September 2021. This report details the observations, findings, and recommendations identified by the RTI International Assessment Team. The RTI International Assessment Team (hereinafter referred to as the Assessment Team) examined in detail the processes and procedures in place for investigating and prosecuting adult sexual assault cases by NYPD, including the use of victim-centered and trauma-informed practices. As part of the assessment, the team conducted a thorough examination of the sexual assault investigative process, both within and outside the law enforcement domain. This assessment included: 1) review of policies pertaining to sexual assault response and investigation, in-service training, and academy training curriculum; 2) investigative case file analysis; and 3) personnel and stakeholder interviews. These methods were used to develop findings and recommendations, with the intention of promoting organizational transformation to better serve adult victims of sexual assault .

Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2021. 785p

By Jocelyn Frye, Shilpa Phadke, Robin Bleiweis, Maggie Jo Buchanan, Danielle Corley, and Osub Ahmed

In 2006, Maricruz Ladino, a farmworker at a California lettuce-packing plant, was repeatedly harassed by her supervisor. She rebuffed his lewd requests and comments, but he was unrelenting. Eventually, as they were heading back from a day’s work in the fields, he took her to another location and raped her. She was afraid to come forward, but after several months, she finally mustered the courage to complain about what had happened. Instead of taking action against her supervisor, her employer fired her. She later filed a civil suit against the company and, in 2010, the company agreed to a settlement. When reflecting on her traumatic experience several years later, Ladino would explain how she found the courage to come forward, saying, “I have daughters, I have sisters. And I have to stop this from happening to them, too. That’s what gave me strength to speak out.”2 The prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in the United States has become the focus of a national conversation. Whether it is the meteoric rise and resilience of the #MeToo movement, originally launched by activist Tarana Burke more than a decade ago; a seemingly endless list of public figures involved in allegations of sexual misconduct; a U.S. Supreme Court nomination fight made contentious in part by sexual assault allegations; President Donald Trump’s dismissive attacks on survivors’ stories and more than two dozen women alleging his own misconduct over decades; or Trump administration policies that increasingly degrade, disparage, and dehumanize women and gender minorities, all have elevated the discussion about how well GBV claims are handled and what responses are needed to combat it.3 In the wake of this attention, people from across the country have stood up and spoken out. They have told their personal stories and made clear that a status quo that tolerates sexual misconduct is unacceptable and must change. Many policymakers have been quick to profess support for survivors and reject all forms of GBV,

from sexual harassment to sexual assault and more, yet concrete legislative action to address these issues has been slow in coming. Even when policymakers do engage, they often focus on piecemeal measures as a quick fix rather than a more holistic response to address the full range of underlying problems. Lost in the discussion are the interwoven issues that collectively perpetuate GBV—particularly the systemic biases around race, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, and disability that shape survivors’ diverse experiences. Overly narrow views and definitions around sex and gender identity that leave out women of color and gender minorities risk ignoring critical aspects of the problem and perpetuating a broader public narrative that elevates some groups over others and leaves out some survivors altogether. Furthermore, too little attention has focused on the connections between GBV and other abusive or violent behaviors, such as research showing high rates of domestic violence and misogynistic attacks among perpetrators of mass shootings.4 Dissecting how all of these issues relate to each other is crucial and long overdue 

Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2019. 70p.

By Jenna Russo

While all UN multidimensional peacekeeping operations are mandated to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), the missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, as well as in the Central African Republic, are also mandated to protect civilians from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). While SGBV is often used and understood interchangeably with CRSV, SGBV is broader in scope, as it encompasses nonsexual forms of gender-based violence and need not be connected to armed conflict.

This report examines how missions are implementing their mandates to protect civilians from SGBV, including CRSV, and assesses good practices, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. The report draws on lessons learned from the UN missions in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the DRC (MONUSCO). It considers how the complexities of preventing and responding to SGBV necessitate a whole-of-mission approach to the protection of civilians (POC) that encompasses not only physical protection from violence but also activities that address cultural norms related to gender, strengthen the rule of law, and enhance women’s participation. This report thus considers a range of protection activities carried out by missions, as well as structures and processes that promote the effective integration of gender into mission planning and activities.

The paper concludes with several recommendations for UN peacekeeping missions, the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), and member states on the Security Council to strengthen work on SGBV.

New York: International Peace Institute, 2022. 33p.

By EIGE -  European Institute for Gender Equality

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increasing our reliance on digital technologies in our everyday activities, consolidating internet access as a new fundamental human right. Digital platforms have often been celebrated for allowing equal opportunities for public self expression, regardless of one’s identity and status. Yet, not everyone is welcome in the cyberspace. The digital arena has become a breeding ground for a range of exclusionary and violent discourses and beliefs, expressed and disseminated in a context of anonymity and impunity. Both women and men can be victims of cyber violence. However, evidence shows that women and girls are highly exposed to it. Not only are they more likely to be targeted by cyber violence; they can also suffer from serious consequences, resulting in physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm and suffering. Women and girls often end up withdrawing from the digital sphere, silencing and isolating themselves and eventually losing opportunities to build their education, professional career and support networks. Cyber violence against women and girls (CVAWG) is often dismissed as an insignificant and virtual phenomenon. However, as digital (online) and face-to-face (offline) spaces become more and more integrated, CVAWG often amplifies (or is a precursor for) violence and victimisation in the physical world. CVAWG is not a private problem and does not exist in a vacuum: it is an integral part of the continuum of violence against women and girls. Just like any other form of gender-based violence, CWAWG is deeply rooted in the social inequality between women and men that persists in our world. CVAWG is an intersectional form of violence with different patterns and levels of vulnerability and risk among specific groups of women and girls. It can be exacerbated when it is committed on the grounds of gender in combination with other factors, including age, ethnic or racial origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion or belief. Combating CVAWG: aims and scope of this report The aim of this report is to provide an in-depth investigation into the phenomenon of cyber violence and to examine how it affects women and girls specifically.  

Vilnius LITHUANIA: EIGE, 2022. 110p.

By The YWCA

Police killings of Black people and the ensuing nation-wide protests that swept across the United States during the spring and summer months of 2020 are certain to be recorded as defining elements of an unprecedented year. Like Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and so many others before them, the names of the people of color killed by police in 2020 are now seared into our national consciousness: George Floyd. Rayshard Brooks. Tony McDade. Breonna Taylor. Their deaths unleashed a national fury and ignited a long overdue reckoning with racial violence by police against people of color.

But as so often happens, women and girls of color are again being left out of the story. Their experiences? Overlooked and erased by a media and policy narrative that overwhelmingly focuses on men and boys of color.

Washington, DC: YWCA, 2020. 49p.

By Laura Ávila and Alicia Flórez 

This investigation exposes gender-based violence in Tibú, a Colombian town located on the border with Venezuela that serves as a drug trafficking corridor for several illegal armed groups. In 2021, at least 13 women were killed and dozens more were forced to flee the municipality amid one of the worst waves of violence ever seen in the area.  

Washington, DC: InSight Crime, 2022.  30p.

By Carmen Germaine Warner.

From the Preface: Violence and the impact on its victims is nothing new to the helping professional. Specific assessment and intervention has been ad­dressed in Emergency Departments for years, but it has only been within the past decade that first responders have been challenged with the shared responsibility for the early stabilization and man­agement of victims of violence. Accompanying this responsibility is the need for first responders to be prepared both educationally and emotionally to intervene in situations of violence. The first per­son who cares for victims of violence plays a critical role in not only establishing good lines of communication but possesses the poten­tial for developing a trusting relationship. This element of trust helps the victim to remain open and creative throughout stages of short and long-term intervention. It is only with a comprehensive foundation of theory, specific causes, victim and family impact, along with conflict intervention that first responders will effec­tively be able to understand and properly manage victims of vio­lence.

This text is designed to provide the reader with a firm knowl­edge base. The first section outlines some of the theories and philosophies concerning violence, why and how it occurs, specific learned behavior, and factors which influence evolvement, along with common threads in violent behavior. The second section emphasizes definitions, general knowl­edge, statistical data, signs and symptoms, and the victim's specific transition sequences. Section Three identifies specific intervention techniques which, based on the accumulated knowledge base gained in sec­tions One and Two, will afford the reader a comprehensive, holistic approach to quality assessment and management.

Maryland. Robert J. Brady & Co. 1981. 279p.

By  Robert Urquhart and Jennifer Doyle 

The devastating effect of domestic and family violence (DFV) on children and young people has been increasingly researched, and its lasting impact acknowledged. Yet, despite the evidence, children and young people continue to be regarded as onlookers who ‘witness’ DFV, rather than as victims who directly experience DFV. Indeed, recognition of children and young people experiencing DFV as victim survivors in their own right and with their own unique needs is long overdue. It is time to recognise children and young people as equal victim survivors with their own safety and support needs, and to establish appropriate DFV support policy and programs which reflect the presence of multiple victims of DFV.  

Sydney: Barnardos Australia, 2022. 116p.

By  Catherine Mackenzie and Tanya Mackay

Violence against women is one of the most pervasive and dangerous ways in which power imbalances between women and men operate in Australian society. Increasing outrage and pressure from the community service and health sectors, plus compelling evidence on the alarming prevalence of violence against women, led to the launch of The National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children 2010-2022 and associated Action Plans. A great deal of media and policy attention has been directed toward both highlighting the unacceptably high incidence of, and finding ways to reduce, violence against women and their children. Disturbingly, almost a decade after the National Plan was launched, surveys of attitudes towards violence against women are not finding a great deal of positive change, particularly among young people. Attitudes that are supportive of violence against women, particularly those of young men, are especially concerning. Young women are the highest risk group of women for being victims of violence. Young people are the leaders of the next generations and it is crucial that this generation’s leaders take immediate action to ensure that the next generation has the support and empowerment to identify and stop violence against women. If this does not happen, it will be a shameful addition to the long list of intergenerational inequities that will result from the inaction of our generation. Australia-wide studies indicate that higher proportions of rural women have experienced intimate partner violence than urban women.

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  However, most research has sought the accounts of women living in urban environments and policy and funding allocation is therefore skewed toward the needs of urban women (Dillon, Hussain & Loxton, 2015). While some studies have investigated rural intimate partner violence from the perspective of service workers (e.g. Wendt, 2010) few have reported on the perspectives of women (for examples, see Campo & Tayton, 2015; Ragusa, 2017). This project addresses this important gap by aiming to understand young country women’s (16-24 years) perceptions and experiences of intimate partner violence to inform Uniting Country SA (UCSA) Youth and Domestic Violence service worker practices. The project also aimed to provide evidence to assist UCSA coordinate their work across internal and external services and with their local communities to actively reduce violence against women in current and future generations. Interviews were conducted with young country women aged 16-24 years and country women who had experienced intimate partner violence when they were aged 16-24 years, to provide data that would meet project aims.  

Adelaide: The Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise and University of South Australia, 2019     41p.

By Sibel Korkmaz 

Swedish studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) among young people are virtually non-existent, and the European research field on this phenomenon has not been specifically overviewed. This thesis aims to review European research on youth IPV, investigate the extent and characteristics of youth IPV victimization in a sample of Swedish high school students, and explore the dynamics of this victimization. The dissertation consists of four sub-studies employing different kinds of methods and using different sets of data. Analyses are underpinned by a rather extensive theoretical framework, permitting an examination of youth IPV from different perspectives and angles. Study I gives an overview of existing European research, pointing out trends and challenges within the field and providing a frame of reference for the Swedish study. One conclusion of this overview is that an intersectional approach is needed when researching violence among youth, and that gender, especially, is a key variable to explore in research on youth IPV. Study II presents IPV prevalence rates in a regional sample of Swedish young people. Drawing upon survey data, the study shows that over half of participating youth reported experiences of some form of IPV, and that girls experience more repeated IPV compared to boys. Furthermore, the study places youth IPV in a physical context, suggesting that it takes place in different arenas, such as the parents’ house, the partner’s house, and at school. Study III uses data consisting of “teller-focused” interviews with 18 IPV victimized youth (aged 17-23) in Sweden, and…..

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  illustrates the dynamics of IPV victimization, establishing it as a social phenomenon and emphasizing the agency of young people in the midst of abusive relationships. It shows varying responses (including a lack of response) from three different actors: parents, school, and young people themselves, all from the young person’s perspective. Overall, the data show that youth-specific factors (e.g. parental dependency, attending school) have a meaningful bearing on both responses and resilience to IPV. Lastly, study IV draws upon data consisting of “teller-focused” interviews with 18 IPV victimized youth (aged 17-23) in Sweden, and shows how young people’s abusive relationships come to an end. It shows that the ending process for youth may be different than for adults, since youth-specific factors create unique barriers (e.g. the desire to be a girlfriend) and bridges (e.g. parental responsibilities) for young people seeking to end abusive relationships. Overall, this dissertation shows that many Swedish youth experience violence within a romantic intimate relationship, and that such violence, many times, is repeated and severe. The results indicate a gendered dimension to youth IPV— compared to boys, girls report more repeated violence and also describe how gendered norms affect their victimization. Moreover, regarding the physical context of youth IPV, the results show that this social problem takes place in arenas where adults dwell and how they can respond. Hence, it is not possible for the adult world to dismiss youth IPV as something undetectable. In sum, this dissertation shows that IPV does happen “when you’re young too.” Thus, it seems apparent that a wide-ranging response is called for: one that involves parents, schools, social workers, and policy makers alike. Only then will youth IPV as a social problem receive the attention it needs and deserves.  

Stockholm: Stockholm University,  2021. 149p.

By Dominiek Coates, Maria Koleth and Lauren Hamilton   

Sexual violence is highly prevalent globally, and rates of reported sexual violence in Australia continue to rise. It can be both a standalone crime and a form of domestic and family violence. Sexual violence can adversely affect the physical and mental health and social wellbeing of victims and survivors, who might require support from legal, medical, counselling and advocacy services. Various specific interventions have been developed over time to support recovery and reduce the impact after sexual violence. Interventions typically fall into two categories: crisis responses delivered in the immediate aftermath of a sexual violence event, often in specialist sexual assault centres or in healthcare settings and comprising specialised medico-legal and counselling services; and post-crisis responses, typically therapeutic interventions implemented as long-term efforts to address psychological and emotional impacts. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the state of the evidence from existing systematic reviews in relation to the effectiveness of crisis and post-crisis interventions for victims and survivors of sexual violence.  

Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), 2022. 32p.

By Charlotte Bell and  Dominiek Coates 

To reduce domestic and family violence (DFV) and intimate partner violence (IPV), interventions for perpetrators are critical. There are two key intervention types for perpetrators: behaviour change interventions and legal and policing interventions. The aim of this review study is to provide an overview of the effectiveness evidence as reported by reviews of interventions for perpetrators of DFV and IPV.  

Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) , 2022. 62p.

By Megan Rose and Dominiek Coates

 Respectful relationships education and bystander interventions in school and tertiary settings seek to promote health and equal relationships and reduce sexual violence and dating violence experienced and perpetrated by young people, in and out of relationships, by equipping them with attitudes, knowledge and skills to confront violence. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the evidence from systematic reviews in relation to the effectiveness of respectful relationships and bystander intervention programs in school and tertiary education settings.   

Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS)  2021. 34p.

By Erin Carlisle, Christine Coumarelos, Kate Minter and Ben Lohmeyer  

The 2017 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS) found that although young people have a good overall understanding of domestic violence, particularly its physical forms, there were also some “areas of concern” within young people’s understandings. The NCAS raised concerns about young people’s understandings of:

• the non-physical forms of domestic violence, such as financial and technology-facilitated abuse

• the high prevalence of violence against women in the community

• the gendered nature of domestic violence.

To further explore these findings, the current study unpacked how young people define and make sense of domestic violence. In particular, the study examined how young people distinguish domestic violence from other unhealthy relationship behaviours, how common they perceive domestic violence to be and their understanding of the gendered nature of domestic violence.

Sydney:  Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS), 2022. 114p.

By Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Family, domestic and sexual violence is a major national health and welfare issue that can have lifelong impacts for victims and perpetrators. It affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds, but predominantly affects women and children. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Personal Safety Survey estimated that 2.2 million adults have been victims of physical and/or sexual violence from a partner since the age of 15, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men have been sexually harassed, and 1 in 6 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced stalking. In 2017, police recorded 25,000 victims of sexual assault. This report builds on the AIHW’s inaugural Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia 2018 report. It presents new information on vulnerable groups, such as children and young women. It examines elder abuse in the context of family, domestic and sexual violence, and includes new data on telephone and web-based support services, community attitudes, sexual harassment and stalking. It also includes the latest data on homicides, child protection, hospitals and specialist homelessness services.

Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019. 162p.

By Carmel Hobbs

In this report you will find pieces of stories of strong young people who together share over 60 years of violence and abuse inflicted by a partner they cared about, trusted and often loved. Their voices are prioritised over other data in the report because the voices of young people who have experienced violence and abuse are sorely missing from research, policy and community-based knowledge about this issue. You will see their voices amplified by the professionals who participated in this project. These workers represent a range of government and non-government services who have direct contact with young people. Teen domestic violence and abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in Tasmania and nationally. Statistical evidence of this is also included in the report, further demonstrating the magnitude of this issue.  

Hobart Tasmania: Social Action and Research Centre, Anglicare, 2022. 168p.

By Emily Leslie and Riley Wilson

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people to spend more time at home, amidst increased uncertainty and soaring unemployment rates. The best available evidence tells us that these conditions have the potential to increase domestic violence (Lindo et al., 2018; Card and Dahl, 2011). News outlets around the world reported increased reports of domestic violence as the pandemic spread globally during Spring 2020. We use data on calls for service to the police from 14 large American cities to compare domestic violence calls before and after the pandemic began in the United States, relative to trends during the same period in 2019. The pandemic led to a 7.5% increase in calls for service during March, April, and May. The biggest increase came during the first five weeks after widespread social distancing began, when domestic violence calls were up 9.7%. State-mandated stay-at-home orders and school closures came later, suggesting the increase was not only a response to shelter-in-place policies. The increase came across a broad range of demographic and socioeconomic groups, and includes households without a recent history of domestic violence calls.'  

Washington, DC: Council on Criminal Justice, 2020. 8p.

By Alex R. Piquero and Wesley G. Jennings, et al

In March and April of 2020, government leaders began to impose stay-at-home orders to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. This report, by a team of researchers led by sociologist Alex R. Piquero of the University of Miami, was based on a systematic review of multiple studies that compared changes in the number of domestic violence incidents before and after jurisdictions put lockdown restrictions in place.

Findings:

• Based on a review of 12 U.S. studies, most of which included data from multiple cities, shows that domestic violence incidents increased 8.1% after jurisdictions imposed pandemic-related lockdown orders.

• Unlike some early reports on domestic violence trends that relied exclusively on police calls for service, the studies covered by this review also drew on data from crime reports, emergency hotline registries, hospital and other health records, and additional administrative documents.

• While the precise dynamics driving the increase are unclear, lockdowns and pandemic-related economic impacts likely exacerbated factors typically associated with domestic violence, such as increased male unemployment, stress associated with childcare and homeschooling, and increased financial insecurity. Poor coping strategies, including the increased use of alcohol and other substances, may have elevated the risk of abuse.

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  The authors also conclude that COVID-19 left parents and children confined to their homes, cut off from friends, neighbors, colleagues, and others who might have reported signs of abuse and violence and intervened to help potential victims escape violent situations.

Washington, DC: Council on Criminal Justice, 2021. 21p.

By Elizabeth A. Sheehy

"Sexual Assault in Canada" is the first English-language book in almost two decades to assess the state of sexual assault law and legal practice in Canada. Gathering together feminist scholars, lawyers, activists and policy-makers, it presents a picture of the difficult issues that Canadian women face when reporting and prosecuting sexual violence. The volume addresses many themes including the systematic undermining of women who have been sexually assaulted, the experiences of marginalized women, and the role of women’s activism. It explores sexual assault in various contexts, including professional sports, the doctor–patient relationship, and residential schools. And it highlights the influence of certain players in the reporting and litigation of sexual violence, including health care providers, social workers, police, lawyers and judges. "Sexual Assault in Canada" provides both a multi-faceted assessment of the progress of feminist reforms to Canadian sexual assault law and practice, and articulates a myriad of new ideas, proposed changes to law, and inspired activist strategies.

Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press / Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa, 2012. 833p.