Magdalena Habringer, BA MA
Senior Lecturer
magdalena.habringer@hcw.ac.at
+43 1 606 68 77-8303
With the increasing digitalisation of all areas of social life, the number of abusive uses of technological developments is also on the rise. In the case of domestic violence against women, for example, it can be seen that the perpetrators are increasingly using technical means of violence to threaten, harass, defame, control or expose their (ex-)partners. The study (K)ein Raum: Cyber Violence against Women in (Ex-)Relationships aims to analyse the role of technology in violence in intimate relationships.
Those affected often do not recognise a safe space in which they could protect themselves from the constant threat and control. Research Results to date show that the space of violence is expanding through technological means. Spaces that could potentially offer protection for the woman concerned are thus increasingly disappearing. Even physical separation - such as fleeing to a women's refuge - cannot prevent the victim from continuing to be exposed to cyber violence. The current situation for women affected by cyber violence at the hands of their (ex-)partner shows that, despite the high estimated prevalence figures, there is a lack of social science knowledge to develop strategies for dealing with cyber violence in the relevant areas of practice (social work, police, justice) that meet the needs of those affected for security in their private sphere. This reveals a gap between the current state of knowledge and the current state of engineering.
The aim of (K)ein Raum is to provide a differentiated description of the characteristics and effects of "cyber violence against women in (ex-)relationships". The aim is to generate new knowledge about the need and potential for support options and shelters for those affected.