Associate feature: Online Violence Against Women: A Four Nations study

Earlier this year we published our report 'Online Violence Against Women (OVAW): A Four Nations Study' after conducting the largest ever survey about online violence against women and girls. With 2014 respondents (out of 7819) from Scotland we were able to review and analyse a rich seam of data:

• 67% of women across Scotland who experienced online violence reported it. 56% reported it to the platform provider but only 4% reported it to the police
• 85% said Online Violence Against Women and Girls (OVAWG) had impacted on their lives
• 1 in 2 lesbian, gay, bisexual + women reported experiencing OVAW versus 13% of heterosexual women
• Nearly 8 in 10 (76%) said they were not aware of the Scottish Government's work in the area of tackling violence against women and girls – both offline and online
• In the 12 months preceding the survey, 6 in 10 men who witnessed OVAWG reported it (54% to the platform provider)  
• Women and girls in Scotland were more likely to have witnessed the most instances of online violence (35%) in comparison to those in England (30%), Wales and Northern Ireland (27%)

Our research forms part of The Open University’s (OU) Open Societal Challenges Programme, which aims to tackle some of the most important societal challenges of our time through impact-driven research that will transform lives and drive societal change. I was therefore pleased to have been able to present our early findings last year to civil servants influencing the outcome of the Scottish Government's refreshed 'Equally Safe' strategy published last December.

A dissemination event was held in Edinburgh in June, following similar events around the UK. We were joined by guests from across the third sector, local government and the Scottish Government who were welcomed at the Scottish Poetry Library by Susan Stewart, OU in Scotland Director, who set the context for the university's work in Scotland. 

We covered a lot of ground, with questions on the gaming industry and sports governance, and whether online safety for women should be a priority. Despite the challenging subject matter, participants were enthusiastic to continue cross-border collaboration to maximise opportunities and future proof work.   

It was good to have Siobhian Brown MSP, Minister for Victims and Community Safety, join us at the event where Ms Brown outlined the Scottish Government's continuing work to tackle online violence against women and girls, on a cross-cutting basis with a Ministerial oversight group. 

In August 2024 we launched our new Centre for Protecting Women Online thanks to a funding award of £7,730,000 from Research England. The funding is part of a £156m investment from its Expanding Excellence in England Fund, supporting universities to expand their outstanding research units.

The centre, based on our campus in Milton Keynes, will develop research to inform law, policy, technology development and practice to prevent and reduce harms suffered by women and girls online. We will adopt an interdisciplinary approach by partnering with local businesses and organisations in England to provide local impacts. We will also work with global tech companies to co-design solutions that will provide accountability and help advance justice for victims of online harms.

One of the benefits of being the UK’s only cross-nation university is that the knowledge and expertise gained from the research centre will be disseminated via our partners, stakeholders and colleagues. Follow us on LinkedIn to find out more about the work of the centre and how you can engage with the team.

Quote

“Women and girls are facing an epidemic in online violence, and the lines between ‘online’ and ‘offline’ spaces are becoming increasingly blurred, which allows violence against women and girls (VAWG) to thrive.

The work of this centre will be vital in advancing knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of online violence, and will enable us to make a lasting difference in improving women’s safety.”

This article is sponsored by The Open University.

www.open.ac.uk/Scotland