The Covid-19 pandemic, and lockdown, led to global increases in the reporting of domestic abuse alongside an unprecedented reliance on technology. For this reason, LSBU has decided to dedicate this second event to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence on technology-enabled abuse.

This event draws on current research across a range of technologies to help understand domestic abuse in the 21st century. The webinar will also include a survivor’s personal account of tech-abuse.

The aims of the event are to:

• Increase awareness and understanding of how technology facilitates abuse
• Recognise surveillance as pervasive and insidious
• Contribute to current debates on tech-abuse as a form of Violence Against Women and Girls
• Identify areas for future research

Dr Chris Magill is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at London South Bank University and Lead for the Crime and Justice Research Group in the School of Law and Social Sciences. Chris has over 15 years’ experience conducting research on crime and criminal justice issues. Her interest in Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) dates back to her role as a Research Fellow in the Domestic Abuse strand of the Home Office’s Crime Reduction Programme in the late 1990s. As a Principal Research Officer for the Crown Prosecution Service (2007 to 2013), she worked closely with their Equality and Diversity Unit, conducting research on topics such as so-called ‘honour’ crime, forced marriage and domestic abuse. Chris also volunteers as a ‘Change That Lasts Ambassador’ for R.I.S.E, a Brighton-based domestic abuse charity.

Leonie Maria Tanczer is Lecturer in International Security and Emerging Technologies at University College London’s (UCL) Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP). She is member of the Advisory Council of the Open Rights Group (ORG), affiliated with UCL’s Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR), and former Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin. Further details and her publications can be found here.

Dr Tirion Havard is a senior lecturer in the social work department at London South Bank University and co-chair of the Serious Violence Research Group.  Prior to this Tirion worked as a probation officer in London working with high risk offenders including gang members and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Tirion has drawn on her practice experience in her research including the role of young women and girls in gangs. Her PhD considered the role of mobile phones in the coercive control of heterosexual women.