Building Online Spaces Safe from Sexual Harassment

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Image from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Since 2011, April has been recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) with an annual national SAAM theme developed by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). The theme for 2022 is Building Safe Online Spaces Together, a call to action that the NSVRC states “…is possible when we practice digital consent, intervene when we see harmful content and behaviors, and promote online communities that value respect, inclusion, and safety.”

The Safety Net Project is often focused on the ways people can misuse technology to abuse others, and on developing tools to help survivors and their advocates respond to the abuse they experience. Of the different types of technology-facilitated abuse the Safety Net Projects works on, online sexual harassment is one of the most common and one of the biggest challenges we all face in the work of building safe online spaces together.

According to a 2020 survey by the Pew Research Institute 41% of all adults in the United States have experienced some form of online harassment [1]. Among adults under 35 years old, 33% of women and 11% of men have been sexually harassed online. Dating apps were the most common online space where sexual harassment was experienced (60% of women and 27% of men) by adults under 35 years old [2]. A survey of 10-18 year old adolescents in the U.S. found that 15% reported experiencing online sexual harassment [3].

Online sexual harassment can be defined as unwanted sexual conduct on any digital platform. The European Union’s Project deSHAME identified four distinct categories of online sexual harassment [4]:

  • Non-consensual sharing of intimate images and videos

    • Taking or sharing sexual images or videos of a person without that person’s consent.

  • Exploitation, coercion, and threats

    • Sending sexual threats, coercing a person into participating in sexual acts online, or using a person’s intimate images or other sexual content to blackmail that person.

  • Sexualized bullying

    • Using sexual content to upset, humiliate, exclude, or discriminate against a person

  • Unwanted sexualization

    • Sending unwanted sexual comments, images, jokes, or any other kind of content.

Like many other harms, the impact of experiencing online sexual harassment can be very different from one person to another. It’s important not to minimize the impact of harassment because it is online. There can still be significant trauma and fear. And, in many cases, online harassment can quickly move offline into other forms of sexual, physical, and financial, and emotional abuse.

 The NSVRC recommends several practices anyone can do to help build safe online spaces:

  • Practice digital consent

  • Intervene when you see harmful content and behaviors online

  • Promote online communities that value respect, inclusion, and safety

Positive reactions to abuse can help to prevent other harms in online spaces by establishing examples of behavior and interaction online that are grounded in respect. In real-world and online spaces, people create the spaces around them by being in them. How people are in those spaces helps determine if those spaces are safe and who those spaces are safe for. If people bring fundamental ideas like consent, respect, inclusion, and care for others into the spaces they exist in, then those spaces will be profoundly safer for everyone in them.

This April, we’re happy for the reminder that the goal of our work on the Safety Net Project and NNEDV is to build something better than what we have now, and working together is needed to do that. While joining survivors, advocates, communities, and the NSVRC in doing the work of building safer spaces everywhere, the Safety Net Project also supports the process of building by doing what we can give advocates the tools to work with survivors to make every day safer. Explore our website to learn about those tools, and explore the NSVRC’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month pages to learn more about SAAM.

[1] Vogels, E. A. (2021, January 13). The State of Online Harassment. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/01/13/the-state-of-online-harassment/

 [2] Anderson, M., & Vogels, E. A. (2020, May 6). Young women often face sexual harassment online – including on dating sites and apps. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/06/young-women-often-face-sexual-harassment-online-including-on-dating-sites-and-apps/

 [3] Copp, J. E., Mumford, E. A., & Taylor, B. G. (2021). Online sexual harassment and cyberbullying in a nationally representative sample of teens: Prevalence, predictors, and consequences. Journal of Adolescence, 93, 202–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.10.003

 [4] Defining online sexual harassment. (n.d.). Childnet. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.childnet.com/what-we-do/our-projects/project-deshame/defining-online-sexual-harassment/

New Teens & Tech Resources for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

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In February we recognize Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), by focusing our attention on raising awareness about the violence teens experience within intimate relationships. Studies say that 1 in 3 high school students will experience some form of dating violence or abuse. As teens are navigating the complexities of the pandemic, remote learning and adolescent development, many are also experiencing and witnessing online abuse. 

In recognition of TDVAM and the significant intersection of technology and teen dating violence, the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence is excited to release three new resources to help parents, people who work with youth, and teens understand and address technology abuse. The new handouts were created in partnership with Tonjie Reese of eleven24, a teen violence prevention program dedicated to reducing the prevalence of relationship abuse and sexual violence through media literacy and identity affirmation.  

Technology misuse is a common tactic within dating abuse. The more those working with and caring for youth are able to understand technology from their perspective, the better we’ll be to help them navigate relationships, online spaces, and their tech use. In addition to providing youth with positive examples of relationships, it’s important to model healthy technology use that encourages safety, privacy, and consent. Technology will increasingly be a part of our lives and a common concern within dating violence. Our Teens and Tech series aims to empower teens and those who are working with and caring for young adults to enhance privacy and security while using technology strategically.  

Check out our Teens & Technology Resource Series, including these three new handouts: 
·     Teens and Technology: Examples of Technology Abuse
·     Five Ways to Engage with Young People
·     Uses and Misuses of Popular Apps

While it’s important to dedicate February to focusing on teens’ experiences with intimate partner violence, listening to teens’ voices and working to empower them to build a future free of abuse is a year-round commitment. 

Later this month, Safety Net will be launching our first ever Tech Talk, a pre-recorded bite-sized conversation focused on a specific topic. This first conversation will be devoted to the issue of breaking up online. Considering the prevalence of teen dating violence and the possibilities for escalation following break-ups, this is an incredibly important moment for a teen’s safety and well-being. Please stay tuned for more information! 

To learn more about teen dating violence or to get help, please visit:  

o   eleven24 

o   Family Online Safety Institute

Safety Net's 2021 Year-in-Review

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For more than 30 years, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) has worked to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. For all of us at NNEDV, this past year was a busy one in fulfilling our mission. This year continued to be a testament to the resilience of our staff, member coalitions, local programs, and the survivors they serve. We came together, as the pandemic continued into a second year, to support each other, to support survivors, and to center the needs of the field and our member coalitions. To read more about all of NNEDV’s accomplishments visit our website.

In 2021 the Safety Net Project stayed busy expanding our partnerships and activities, exploring new strategies for addressing the impact of current and emerging technologies on victims’ safety, privacy, and accessibility, and supporting service providers in the field. Our commitment to this work and each other was clearly demonstrated throughout the year as the team worked together to keep growing the project. We continued to develop materials for TechSafety.org and provide trainings to help advocates, programs, and coalitions respond to survivors’ ever-changing needs and concerns. These efforts were bolstered by a number of new and ongoing partnerships, including with the Coalition Against Stalkerware, the Confidentiality Institute, the Justice, Research and Statistical Association (JRSA), Kaspersky, NortonLifeLock, and Uber.

In 2021, we provided 66 trainings, reaching over 7,700 advocates, legal professionals, law enforcement, technologists, educators, and others working with survivors of abuse.  Presentations focused on an array of topics related to technology safety, including tech misuse, digital services, tech evidence, elder abuse and tech, stalkerware, teens and tech, tech design, confidentiality, data retention, financial abuse and tech, confidentiality obligations, safety planning, and privacy and security during relocation. We partnered with NortonLifelock on 2 national webinars and with the University of Texas Medical Branch and Safe Alliance on another one to bring in additional expertise. 

We also continued to work on COVID 19 response with a focus on digital services and confidentiality, helping programs to assess the benefits and risks of technology. This was especially important as we saw a significant increase in survivors using tech to communicate with service providers and their loved ones. Technology has provided us with wonderful opportunities to stay connected during this time, which is incredibly important for survivors of abuse. Each platform or technology-involved communication strategy requires thoughtful consideration, however, to ensure the highest standards for privacy and confidentiality at continually met. 

Image showing Needs Assessment finding. Text says "The most common types of tech abuse (harassment, limiting access to tech, and surveillance) have increased during the pandemic.

The team developed resources on vaccine registries, the importance of privacy and security, teens and technology, and released a new report on “Tech Abuse in the Pandemic and Beyond”, sharing findings from a needs assessment that included the participation of over 1,000 advocates and legal system professionals. This assessment documented that the top reported types of technology abuse – destroying technology, harassment, and surveillance – all increased during the pandemic. 

We also provided close to 1,100 hours of technical assistance this year. These are phone, email, and video conferences where the team helps programs and those working with survivors to think through the complexities of technology safety as it pertains to safety planning or agency use of tech. Understanding the ins and outs of technology, confidentiality, and service provision can be complex and we are always willing to help programs as they work with survivors to understand these nuances.

Quote from Summit: "It can be tempting to tell survivors of tech abuse to get rid of a device or get off social media. But we need to move away from victim-blaming and toward strategic, empowered use of tech." Said by Toby Shulfuff.

In July, Safety Net’s 9th annual Tech Summit (sponsored by NortonLifeLock, Facebook (now Meta), Apple, Kaspersky, Airbnb, Malwarebytes, and Match Group) provided unique and vital content to increase the knowledge and skills of those working with survivors to respond to technology abuse, support survivors in their use of tech, and harness tech to improve services. This year, over 630 advocates, legal professionals, privacy experts, and technologists from across the country and world, including 43 states, three territories, and six countries joined us for this annual event. 

This is a moment to step back, reflect, and take note of all that we accomplished. It’s also a moment to identify what we want to do differently in the year ahead of us to improve our work and what we bring to this space. We are proud of the work that we did and we will continue to grow this work and ourselves as we move into 2022. Thank you to everyone who has supported our team and the work of NNEDV over the last year.