About this event

Domestic Abuse & Technology Practitioners Network

Date: Wednesday 21st June, 9:30 – 11:30

Location: Microsoft Teams

Do you work with survivors or perpetrators of domestic abuse? Are you a social worker, strategist, commissioner, manager, or just want to learn more about technology and domestic abuse? This session will aim to equip you with information, knowledge, and guidance on the use of technology as part of domestic abuse, known as ‘tech abuse’.

Technology is evolving so fast that it is hard to keep up to date. Technology is driving new forms of domestic abuse with the countless ways it can facilitate a perpetrator’s coercive and controlling behaviours. This is a practice and tech-focused network event that will help you to build skills for supporting survivors or working with perpetrators of domestic abuse.

This session will be led by our guest speaker, Dr. Julia Slupska, who will present her research on “networks of care” based on interviews with advocates who support survivors of technology-enabled abuse. Julia’s talk will cover best practices for supporting survivors in such cases, including establishing trust, safety planning, empowerment, demystification, supporting evidence collection and making referrals. Using critical and feminist theories, Julia’s research highlights advocates as sources of crucial technical expertise to reduce this kind of violence in the future. The session will also include a discussion with practitioners on cases they have come across in their own work, as well as opportunities for questions.

If you have anything you would like to share during this network meeting in relation to tech abuse then please get in touch by Monday 19th June: techabuse@equation.org.uk. This can be anything from an upcoming event or a helpful tech abuse tool you have found to be useful in your line of work.

About Dr. Julia Spupska:

Julia Slupska is Head of Policy, Research & Campaigns at Glitch (maternity cover). Prior to joining Glitch, she completed a PhD in Cybersecurity at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. Her research focused on online safety in the context of intimate partner violence and coercive control. As a part of this research, she co-founded re:configure, a feminist research collective which organised digital security workshops with groups like survivors of image-based sexual abuse, environmental activists, and migrant domestic workers. She is interested in how feminist theories and methods—such as participatory action research and the ethics of care—can improve cybersecurity. She also organises with No Tech for Tyrants, an organisation working to sever the links between higher education, violent technology, and hostile immigration environments. Julia speaks English, Polish, and Spanish.

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Please be aware that this session will contain reference to types of domestic abuse. It is recommended that the session is attended in a quiet and confidential space. If you are impacted by the content of the session, you will be provided with points of contact as part of your follow-on resources, and reference will be made to support options in the session.

Information on support is also available on Equation’s Website: Get Help | Equation

Cancellation

Please note failure to attend the course without prior cancellation may result in a charge for your place. If you do wish to cancel, you can do so through your Eventbrite confirmation or by getting in touch with our team at training@equation.org.uk.