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Scholars and practitioners increasingly acknowledge the ways that abusive partners create, distribute, or threaten to distribute intimate images without consent, yet little empirical research has comprehensively explored image-based sexual abuse within intimate partner contexts. This article responds to this gap and reports on the findings of a study involving interviews with 29 women and one gender-diverse person who experienced image-based sexual abuse as part of a pattern of “coercive control.” The authors argue that abusive partners use intimate imagery as a means of exerting power and control, and as a tactic of intimidation, entrapment, and degradation. They note that law, policy, and practice responses should recognize the gendered nature of image-based sexual abuse and its growing use as a means of coercive control.

PurposeScience, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) workplaces worldwide remain stubbornly resistant to gender equality initiatives. Leaders are vital to driving change, but the extent to which their capabilities lead to change remains unknown. This article examines STEMM leaders' gender competence to achieving transformative changes in gender inequality.Design/methodology/approachThis article examines the capability of STEMM leaders to act as change agents through an in-depth, qualitative analysis of perceptions of gender inequality, sexual harassment, sex discrimination and gender bias within their organisations. Findings are analysed using a customised tripartite gender competence schema, comprising commitment, knowledge and method (or know-how).FindingsThe findings suggest that while STEMM leaders may express a commitment to addressing gender inequality, misapprehensions about the nature and scope of the problem are likely to hamper efforts. Two key misapprehensions standout: a tendency to frame gender inequality in primarily numerical terms; and recourse to blaming external factors beyond STEMM for gender inequality in STEMM.Originality/valueThis article makes an original contribution by examining the gender competence of leaders in STEMM organisations, which has not been previously researched. The findings extend understanding of the salience of leaders' capabilities to lead change by identifying key gaps and misapprehensions in STEMM leaders' understanding of the nature and scope of the problem.

In an era of datafication, social networking, and globalization, “digital citizenship” has become an increasingly relevant and popular concept employed by diverse societal actors to promote digital...

Given the recent surge of research about sexual violence, it is timely to revisit the role of ethics in this field. This article examines two key frameworks which govern ethics in sexual violence research: institutional risk management and trauma discourse. While recognising the importance of these frameworks, we argue that they share a narrow conceptualisation of the potential harms of sexual violence research. Drawing on the legacy of decades of feminist research on sexual violence, we call for a deeper engagement with ethical and epistemological questions of knowledge, positionality and power. We argue that researchers need to consider the broader social and political contexts that shape survivors’ lives and experiences of disclosure in undertaking ethical research. Sexual violence researchers must also consider the potential harms of their research on marginalised communities–from questioning who is included in research, to the implications of the responses to violence advocated for. Utilising insights from feminist, critical and intersectional traditions–and reflections on our own experiences as sexual violence researchers–we argue for ethical considerations to extend beyond risk management and medicalised trauma frameworks.

Beyond ‘scandals’ and the public testimonies of victim-survivors, surprisingly little is known about the nature and extent of the harms of ‘image-based sexual abuse’, a term that includes all non-consensual taking and/or sharing of nude or sexual images. Accordingly, this article examines the findings from the first cross-national qualitative study on this issue, drawing on interviews with 75 victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We adopt a feminist phenomenological approach that permits more nuanced and holistic understandings of victim-survivors’ experiences, moving beyond medicalised, trauma-based accounts of harm. Our analysis develops five interconnected accounts of the harms experienced, that we have termed social rupture, constancy, existential threat, isolation and constrained liberty. Our findings shed new light on the nature and significance of the harms of image-based sexual abuse that emphasises the need for more comprehensive and effective responses to these abuses.

The non-consensual taking or sharing of intimate images, also known as ‘image-based sexual abuse’, has become a widespread problem. While there has been growing attention to this phenomenon, little empirical research has investigated victim-survivor experiences. Drawing on interviews with 25 victim-survivors, this article focusses on the different responses to image-based sexual abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand. We found that victim-survivors had diverse and often multiple experiences of image-based sexual abuse, perpetrated for a variety of reasons, which extended beyond the paradigm of malicious ex-partners seeking revenge. Some participants described the harms experienced as ‘devastating’: a form of ‘social rupture’. Few had formally reported to police or pursued other justice options. While participants held different justice ideals, all sought recognition of the harms perpetrated against them. Yet they faced multiple obstacles when navigating justice, redress and support options. The authors conclude that far-reaching change is needed to improve legislative, policy and prevention responses to image-based sexual abuse.

This article investigates the nature and scope of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) material on 77 high-volume online websites. On the majority of these sites, users appeared to be motivated by sexual gratification and proving masculinity to a sexually deviant peer network, rather than revenge against the person depicted in the image. We argue that nonconsensual image exchanges are contextualized within ever-expanding digital environments, characterized by dislocation of time and space, overvisualization, and hypersexuality. We argue that IBSA is a vehicle for the construction, performativity, and negotiation of hypermasculinity and heteronormativity, within the bounds and structures of existing gendered power relations.

The nonconsensual taking or sharing of nude or sexual images, also known as “image-based sexual abuse,” is a major social and legal problem in the digital age. In this chapter, we examine the problem of image-based sexual abuse in the context of digital platform governance. Specifically, we focus on two key governance issues: first, the governance of platforms, including the regulatory frameworks that apply to technology companies; and second, the governance by platforms, focusing on their policies, tools, and practices for responding to image-based sexual abuse. After analyzing the policies and practices of a range of digital platforms, we identify four overarching shortcomings: (1) inconsistent, reductionist, and ambiguous language; (2) a stark gap between the policy and practice of content regulation, including transparency deficits; (3) imperfect technology for detecting abuse; and (4) the responsibilization of users to report and prevent abuse. Drawing on a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR), we argue that until platforms better address these problems, they risk failing victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse and are implicated in the perpetration of such abuse. We conclude by calling for reasonable and proportionate state-based regulation that can help to better align governance by platforms with CSR-initiatives.

Technology-Facilitated violence and abuse is a truly global problem. As the diverse perspectives and experiences featured in this book have shown, the deep entanglement between technologies, inequality, marginalization, abuse, and violence require multi-faceted and collaborative responses that exist within and beyond the law. When this chapter was written, society was (and continues to be) facing an unprecedented challenge in COVID-19 – a global pandemic. At the same time, a renewed focus on racist police and civilian violence has occurred following the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor in the United States. As we describe in this chapter, these two major moments are ongoing reminders of the profound social inequalities within our global communities, which are grounded in systemically discriminatory oppressions and their intersections. This chapter draws together some thoughts on Technology-Facilitated violence and abuse in an era of COVID-19 and antiracist protest. It explores these within the context of the book as a whole, highlighting the importance for improved understanding of, and responses to, Technology-Facilitated violence and abuse as part of a broader push for social justice.

While digital technologies have led to many important social and cultural advances worldwide, they also facilitate the perpetration of violence, abuse and harassment, known as Technology-Facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA). TFVA includes a spectrum of behaviors perpetrated online, offline, and through a range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, livestreaming, GPS tracking, and social media. This chapter provides an overview of TFVA, including a brief snapshot of existing quantitative and qualitative research relating to various forms of TFVA. It then discusses the aims and contributions of this book as a whole, before outlining five overarching themes arising from the contributions. The chapter concludes by mapping out the structure of the book.

Despite apparent political concern and action – often fuelled by high-profile cases and campaigns – legislative and institutional responses to image-based sexual abuse in the UK have been ad hoc, piecemeal and inconsistent. In practice, victim-survivors are being consistently failed: by the law, by the police and criminal justice system, by traditional and social media, website operators, and by their employers, universities and schools. Drawing on data from the first multi-jurisdictional study of the nature and harms of, and legal/policy responses to, image-based sexual abuse, this article argues for a new joined-up approach that supports victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse to ‘reclaim control’. It argues for a comprehensive, multi-layered, multi-institutional and multi-agency response, led by a government- and industry-funded online or e-safety organisation, which not only recognises the diversity of victim-survivor experiences and the intersection of image-based sexual abuse with other forms of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination, but which also enables victim-survivors to reclaim control within and beyond the criminal justice system.Despite apparent political concern and action – often fuelled by high-profile cases and campaigns – legislative and institutional responses to image-based sexual abuse in the UK have been ad hoc, piecemeal and inconsistent. In practice, victim-survivors are being consistently failed: by the law, by the police and criminal justice system, by traditional and social media, website operators, and by their employers, universities and schools. Drawing on data from the first multi-jurisdictional study of the nature and harms of, and legal/policy responses to, image-based sexual abuse, this article argues for a new joined-up approach that supports victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse to ‘reclaim control’. It argues for a comprehensive, multi-layered, multi-institutional and multi-agency response, led by a government- and industry-funded online or e-safety organisation, which not only recognises the diversity of victim-survivor experiences and the intersection of image-based sexual abuse with other forms of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination, but which also enables victim-survivors to reclaim control within and beyond the criminal justice system.

Digital technologies are increasingly being used as tools for the perpetration of domestic violence. Little empirical research to date has explored the nature and impacts of technology-facilitated domestic violence (TFDV), and even less attention has been paid to the experiences of immigrant and refugee women. This article examines the nature and impacts of TFDV as experienced by immigrant and refugee women. Drawing on interviews with 29 victim-survivors and 20 stakeholders, we argue that although immigrant and refugee women may experience TFDV in similar ways to non-immigrant and refugee women, they face unique challenges, such as language barriers, cultural bias from support services, lack of financial resources, lack of trust in state institutions, and additional challenges with justice and migration systems. Immigrant and refugee women also face multiple structural layers of oppression and social inequality. Accordingly, we argue that a multifaceted approach is required to address TFDV that includes culturally sensitive and specific law reform, education, and training.

Background: Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against a blood vessels traditionally measured non-invasively by auscultation using an aneroid gauge or mercury device. The objective of this study was to determine whether the nursing staff of a Public hospital in Guyana follow international guidelines for the measurement of blood pressure. Since the detection and subsequent management of patients with high blood require that the technique followed by nursing staff who measure patients\' blood pressure produces accurate readings. Methods: This was a quantitative, cross sectional study, conducted in the national referral hospital GPHC in Guyana assessing a sample of 137 of the 781 nursing staff working in the five departments of this hospital. Data was collected through the use of a questionnaire developed following the guidelines for non-invasive blood pressure measurement published by Nerengberg 2018, by the researcher and validated by experts in blood pressure measurement technique and research methodology. Results: 5% of the participants was ward managers, 12% was RNM, 35% of the participants was registered nurses, 7%was qualified midwives, 18% of the participants was nursing assistants and 23% of the participants was patient care assistants. Most of the participants i.e. 39.4% had 4-6, years of experience 31.4% had more than 6 years of experience and 29.2% had 0-3ears of experience in their area off work which means that they all had education and experience in blood pressure measurement. When compared to the steps of the blood pressure measurement technique 72% allow the patient to rest for at least five minutes, 82% provided a calm and quiet environment, 37% explain to the patient not to talk during the procedure, 13% ask the patient to keep the legs uncrossed, 10% ask the patient to keep the feet flat on the floor and 31% of the participants ask the patient to keep the back against the chair. Conclusion: None of the nursing staff of GPHC Guyana followed all of the steps in the guidelines for the measurement of non-invasive blood pressure. While 15 of the 26 steps in guideline measured resulted in more than 75% adherence there were 9 of the 26 steps that had a less than 25% adherence by nursing staff. This means that the steps in the blood pressure guidelines are taken without a standardized guideline and so nursing staff. Background: Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against a blood vessels traditionally measured non-invasively by auscultation using an aneroid gauge or mercury device. The objective of this study was to determine whether the nursing staff of a Public hospital in Guyana follow international guidelines for the measurement of blood pressure. Since the detection and subsequent management of patients with high blood require that the technique followed by nursing staff who measure patients\' blood pressure produces accurate readings. Methods: This was a quantitative, cross sectional study, conducted in the national referral hospital GPHC in Guyana assessing a sample of 137 of the 781 nursing staff working in the five departments of this hospital. Data was collected through the use of a questionnaire developed following the guidelines for non-invasive blood pressure measurement published by Nerengberg 2018, by the researcher and validated by experts in blood pressure measurement technique and research methodology. Results: 5% of the participants was ward managers, 12% was RNM, 35% of the participants was registered nurses, 7%was qualified midwives, 18% of the participants was nursing assistants and 23% of the participants was patient care assistants. Most of the participants i.e. 39.4% had 4-6, years of experience 31.4% had more than 6 years of experience and 29.2% had 0-3ears of experience in their area off work which means that they all had education and experience in blood pressure measurement. When compared to the steps of the blood pressure measurement technique 72% allow the patient to rest for at least five minutes, 82% provided a calm and quiet environment, 37% explain to the patient not to talk during the procedure, 13% ask the patient to keep the legs uncrossed, 10% ask the patient to keep the feet flat on the floor and 31% of the participants ask the patient to keep the back against the chair. Conclusion: None of the nursing staff of GPHC Guyana followed all of the steps in the guidelines for the measurement of non-invasive blood pressure. While 15 of the 26 steps in guideline measured resulted in more than 75% adherence there were 9 of the 26 steps that had a less than 25% adherence by nursing staff. This means that the steps in the blood pressure guidelines are taken without a standardized guideline and so nursing staff.

This article investigates the phenomenon of domestic and sexual violence against adult women using digital communications technologies. The article explores terminological and conceptual challenges and describes the empirical research literature in this field to date in relation to digital dating abuse, intimate partner cyberstalking, technology-facilitated sexual assault, image-based sexual abuse, and online sexual harassment. The article also discusses policy and practice responses to this growing problem, as well as future directions for research. We argue that research and practice need to be guided by existing conceptual frameworks that utilize gender and actor–network theory to understanding the causes and consequences of women’s experiences of abuse and violence facilitated by digital technologies.

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) refers to the non-consensual recording, distribution, or threat of distribution, of nude or sexual images. Over the past five years, numerous jurisdictions have amended their criminal laws to respond more effectively to this growing phenomenon, yet increased criminalization has not automatically translated into increased prosecutions. Drawing on stakeholder interviews with 52 Australian legal and policy experts, domestic and sexual violence advocates, industry representatives, police, and academics, this article examines law enforcement responses to IBSA in Australia. We argue that although there is evidence to suggest IBSA is being treated more seriously by police, there are five primary barriers to responding to IBSA, including: inconsistent laws; a lack of resources; evidentiary limitations; jurisdictional boundaries; and victim-blaming or harm minimization attitudes. Suggestions are made for how to respond to these challenges to facilitate more effective policin...

Digital harassment and abuse refers to a range of harmful, interpersonal behaviours experienced via the internet, as well as via mobile phone and other electronic communication devices. Whereas much existing research has focused on the experiences of children and young people (including foremost ‘cyberbullying’), there have been few international studies on adult experiences of digital harassment and abuse. As such, little is currently known about the extent, nature and impacts of digital harassment and abuse on adult victims. In particular, there exists a significant gap in current research into sexual, sexuality and gender based digital harassment and abuse. This article draws on findings from a larger research project in which we surveyed 2956 Australian adults and 2842 British adults (aged 18 to 54) about their experiences of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV). The data presented here focus on the experiences of sexuality diverse adults ( n = 282) who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual, as well as gender diverse adults ( n = 90), including women, men and transgender individuals. Results suggest that transgender individuals experience higher rates of digital harassment and abuse overall, and higher rates of sexual, sexuality and gender based harassment and abuse, as compared with heterosexual cisgender individuals. Implications of the findings are discussed with respect to policy, prevention, and future research.

Drawing on the scholarly and clinical work of trauma experts, this article presents a conceptual framework to inform the provision of services for witnesses in international tribunals. In particular, the authors present the following ten principles to guide protection and support practices with witnesses: establish a caring relationship; maintain a safe environment; stabilize physiological and mental functioning; maximize predictability; maximize choices; affirm dignity and value; affirm the power of speech; promote human connection; instil hope; and foster reconnection with ordinary life. The authors discuss these principles according to three clusters, based on their relative salience at different phases of a witness's participation: pre-testimony, during testimony, and post-testimony. For each principle, the authors provide a rationale as well as some examples from the witness unit at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. They also discuss some of the challenges encountered in the effort to adhere to each principle. With modifications to ensure relevance to specific contexts and cultures, the adoption of these principles will enhance the likelihood of positive experiences, and reduce the risk of harm, among individuals who testify in international war crimes trials.

As digital modes of communication and participation become further enmeshed into everyday lives, so, too, do these technologies feature in shifting enactments of sexual violence. Over many decades, research has examined various aspects of sexual victimization, as well as its extent, gendered nature, and impacts. However, scholarly examination of the ways in which digital technologies contribute to both the cultures and practices of sexual violence has been slow to develop in comparison to the rapid pace of the technologies themselves. Moreover, although the cybercrime scholarship has examined the role of technology in creating new opportunities and tools for criminally motivated offenders in general, less attention has been paid to the development of conceptual frameworks for understanding the role of technologies in gender-based violences. In this chapter, we move beyond a conventional analysis focused on technology as a mere facilitator of sexual offending, towards a more conceptual framing of the intersection of human, social, and technical factors that contribute to technology facilitated sexual violence (TFSV).

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is a form of technology-facilitated sexual violence. The term describes a pattern of behaviors involving the nonconsensual creation, distribution, or threats to distribute, nude or sexual images. Also known as “revenge pornography” or “nonconsensual pornography,” IBSA affects a significant proportion of the population. According to Australian research conducted by Henry, Powell, and Flynn, and the Australian Office of the eSafety Commissioner, one in five Australians between the ages of 16 and 49 have had at least one experience of IBSA, including 1 in 10 who have had a nude or sexual image shared without their consent. In a 2016 US study conducted by Lenhart, Ybarra, and Price-Feeney, 4% of men and 6% of women ages 15 to 29 reported having had a nude or nearly nude image shared without their consent. These figures are likely to be an underestimate of the true prevalence of IBSA because such studies only capture victims who have become aware that images of them have been created or shared without their consent. Perpetrators of IBSA can include intimate partners, family members, friends, acquaintances, and persons unknown to the victim, with diverse motivations, including sexual gratification, retribution, coercive control, social notoriety, monetary gain, and voyeurism. The images themselves may be self-created by the victim as a “selfie” or produced consensually in the context of a relationship. Alternatively, images may be digitally altered, taken surreptitiously in public or private settings, or created coercively, or they may have been taken of a sexual assault or rape. While IBSA is not itself new, technology has created a conducive and large-scale platform for such abuse to occur.

Online forms of sexual harassment and abuse as experienced by adults represent an emerging yet under-researched set of behaviors, such that very few studies have sought to estimate the extent of the problem. This article presents the results of an online survey of 2,956 Australian adult (aged 18 to 54 years) experiences of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) victimization. The prevalence of TFSV was analyzed in relation to a 21-item scale developed in accordance with prior conceptual research identifying multiple dimensions of TFSV including digital sexual harassment, image-based sexual abuse, sexual aggression and/or coercion, and, gender and/or sexuality-based harassment (including virtual sexual violence). Results revealed significant differences in lifetime TFSV victimization for younger (18-24) and non-heterosexual identifying adults. Lifetime TFSV victimization for men and women was not significantly different, though women were more likely to report sexual harassment victimization and men were more likely to report victimization through the distribution of non-consensual images, as well as gender and/or sexuality-based harassment. The authors conclude that although women and men report experiencing similar overall prevalence of TFSV victimization, the nature and impacts of those experiences differ in particular gendered ways that reflect broader patterns in both gender relations and “offline” sexual harassment.

A legal definition of rape that exonerates an accused who ‘reasonably believes in consent’ is currently in force in a number of jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Limited empirical research has investigated community and professional perceptions of the adequacy and scope of this definition of rape. The present study contributes to qualitative research on ‘reasonable belief in consent’ by analysing key themes from 11 focus group discussions with professionals working in the sexual assault sector (counsellors, health professionals, victim/survivor advocates and police officers), legally trained professionals and community members interested in rape law reform. Across these backgrounds, participants expressed dissatisfaction with this definition of rape because the scope for reasonable belief in consent was seen as overly broad. In particular, participants expected that jurors would draw on a presumption of ‘implied’ or ‘continuing’ consent between former sexual partners to find that belief in consent was ‘reasonable’ when the victim did not protest or resist the assault. As a result, many of our participants were critical that the rape definition effectively maintains the onus on a rape victim/survivor to unequivocally demonstrate non-consent. Participants advocated further law reform to give effect to a more ‘affirmative’ or communicative concept of consent.

Research on law reform has identified a variety of factors that help or hinder the reform process, but it has not systematically explored the role that empirical research plays and could play in enabling and enhancing law reform. Drawing on a series of qualitative interviews with criminal law reform experts in Victoria, we analyse the current uses and perceived value of empirical research in criminal law reform and explore opportunities for qualitative research methods to be used more systematically or extensively to improve criminal law reform processes and outcomes.

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) refers to a range of behaviors where digital technologies are used to facilitate both virtual and face-to-face sexually based harms. Such behaviors include online sexual harassment, gender- and sexuality-based harassment, cyberstalking, image-based sexual exploitation, and the use of a carriage service to coerce a victim into an unwanted sexual act. This article reviews the current state of knowledge on these different dimensions, drawing on existing empirical studies. While there is a growing body of research into technology-facilitated harms perpetrated against children and adolescents, there is a dearth of qualitative and quantitative research on TFSV against adults. Moreover, few of the existing studies provide reliable data on the nature, scope, and impacts of TFSV. Preliminary studies, however, indicate that some harms, much like sexual violence more broadly, may be predominantly gender-, sexuality-, and age-based, with young women being overrepresented as victims in some categories. This review collects the empirical evidence to date regarding the prevalence and gender-based nature of TFSV against adults and discusses the implications for policy and programs, as well as suggestions for future research.

To date, the majority of attention to technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) in both policy and practice has been on child sexual exploitation and abuse. Far less attention has been paid to digital sexualised violence against adult members of the population. The aim of this paper is to examine police responses to these serious and emerging harms, which we identify as including the following: (1) online sexual harassment; (2) gender and sexuality-based harassment; (3) cyberstalking; (4) image-based sexual exploitation (including ‘revenge pornography’); and (5) the use of communications technologies to coerce a victim into an unwanted sexual act. While these are variously criminal offences, unlawful civil behaviours or not subject to criminal or civil sanctions or remedies, we claim in this paper that they exist on a continuum of violence and yet the ‘real’ harms of TFSV are frequently minimised in practice. Drawing on 30 stakeholder interviews with police, legal services and domestic and sex...

The Seductions of Quantification: Measuring Human Rights, Gender Violence, and Sex Trafficking. By Sally Engle Merry. Chicago and London: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2016. 249 pp. $25.00 paperback.As the saying goes, numbers do not lie. Yet numbers do not tell the whole truth, and nor are they immune to the inequalities of power. In this fascinating book, Sally Merry seeks to critically explore the strengths and limitations of global indicators that purport to measure human rights, gender violence, and trafficking. Taking a genealogical approach, Merry carefully describes, compares, and analyzes three indicator projects in order to examine the ways in which knowledge is constructed, the role that power and inequality play in the construction of that knowledge, and the implications for addressing and preventing these problems in practice. While acknowledging the importance of quantification for understanding the murky and highly complex nature of social phenomena, Merry's aim is essentially to demystify the power of numbers through not only exposing the banality and bias inherent in quantification, but also fundamentally questioning the deeply held view that numbers yield objective, apolitical, and incontrovertible truths. Merry's detailed description of the behind-the-scenes decisionmaking processes related to the development of each indicator gives the reader a glimpse into the institutional and bureaucratic structures and politics that underpin these projects.The first indicator project discussed is the United Nations Statistical Commission's (UNSC) attempts to measure the nature and extent of violence against women globally. The second is the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which provides estimates on numbers of victims, prosecutions and convictions in most countries of the world. And the third indicator project refers to the system used for measuring human rights as developed by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Merry argues that although these various indicators are important for creating awareness of the nature of these problems, prompting political, legal, and social action, validating the experiences of victims, and ensuring accountability at the individual, organisational, and state levels, the downside is that the knowledge they manufacture is "decontextualized, homogenized, and remote from local systems of meaning" (p. 3). For instance, Merry explains that violence against women has "moved from being the subject of political mobilization to a site of technical knowledge" (p. 45). She notes that global indicators are not able to adequately capture the complexity of women's "perception, fear, injuries, and consequences" of violence (p. 85). I found Merry's reflection on her work with domestic violence support groups in the US particularly pertinent to the key points in her book about the limitations and strengths of quantification, the importance of qualitative research, and the difficulties in defining and understanding the complexity of violence. …

Gender-based violence can include, but is not limited to, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, rape, and intimate partner homicide. It is well-established that gender inequality is the main driver of gender-based violence. However, little work has attempted to unpack how gender-based violence perpetuates within the neighbourhood context, and whether 'liveability' attributes might intersect with gender inequality and violence. We systematically reviewed quantitative evidence examining associations between gender-based violence and several liveability neighbourhood-level factors. MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus databases yielded 1822 potentially relevant articles. 50 articles met inclusion criteria. Neighbourhood social capital was most consistently associated with reduced gender-based violence. Few studies examined built environment attributes (e.g. gambling venue densities, access to services). Future research is needed to more deeply examine how combinations of salutogenic or pathogenic neighbourhood attributes may reinforce or prevent violence.

Considerable scholarly attention has been paid to a range of criminal behaviours that are perpetrated with the aid of digital technologies. Much of this focus, however, has been on high-tech computer crimes, such as hacking, online fraud and identity theft, or child exploitation material and cyberbullying. Less attention has been paid to ‘technology-facilitated sexual violence’, where new technologies are used as tools to perpetrate or extend the harm of a sexual assault, extend control and abuse in a domestic violence situation, or distribute sexual or intimate images of another without their consent. In this article, we focus on the scope and limitations of criminal legislation for responding to these varied but interconnected gendered harms. We argue that although there have been some developments in a range of international jurisdictions, particularly relating to the phenomenon of ‘revenge pornography’, much more needs to be done both within and beyond the law. Whilst we support the intervention of the criminal law, we argue that equal attention must be given to policies and practices of educators, law enforcement agencies, service providers, online communities and social media networks to fulfil the promise of equal and ethical digital citizenship.

The transitional justice field has thus far neglected the nature, scope and impacts of civil society initiatives for addressing gender-based violence. Using a feminist framework of analysis, I examine the role of civil society tribunals as a transitional justice mechanism. Despite their limitations, I argue that civil society tribunals can provide recognition for victim suffering, as well as challenge dominant narratives, explore the underlying individual and structural causes of violence and propose solutions to achieving non-violence and gender equality. Overall, I argue that transitional justice is a useful conceptual framework for examining civil society activity in addressing gender-based harms.

Psychosocial staffat a war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone conducted interviews with 147 witnesses after they completed their testimony. The interviewers asked participants to describe the most positive and most difficult aspects of their experience of testifying. Responses were recorded, coded, and examined using content analysis. Nearly all witnesses reported both empowering and difficult aspects, but the former outnumbered the latter. Witnesses mentioned 35 conceptually distinct positive aspects and 26 conceptually distinct negative aspects. The most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being given the chance to tell my story, being able to talk about difficult/painful experiences, breaking silence." The second most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being listened to, feeling believed/understood." The most frequently mentioned negative aspect was "emotional difficulty with some questions, talking about painful experiences." The second most frequent response was "nothing was difficult." Victim witnesses portrayed the experience more positively than nonvictims. For many witnesses, despite some challenging components, testifying provided a valued opportunity.

Should historical injustices in established democracies be scrutinized within the growing transitional justice field? How can transitional justice as a conceptual framework help to make sense of redress activity in established democracies? This article contributes to a growing discussion about the theorization of transitional justice. I argue that a broader conceptualization of transitional justice is instrumental not only for examining the past wrongdoings of established democracies, but also for giving coherence to diverse and competing discourses on colonial injustices. Drawing on redress politics in the Australian context, the article adopts nuanced understandings of both 'transition' and 'justice' as necessarily contested and incomplete. Transitional justice thus provides a unifying framework for understanding the contours of redress politics, which can in turn strengthen practical responses to past injustices and their contemporary effects.