Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the role that mobile phones play in the coercive control of partners and ex-partners who experience intimate partner violence. Semi structured interviews were conducted with people who work with perpetrators and women survivors to explore how mobile phones are used in abusive relationships. Key findings suggest that perpetrators of domestic abuse integrate mobile phones into their abusive behaviour indicating that the nature of coercive control is changing with the advent of mobile technology. Mobile phones are now an integral part of domestic abuse: their accessibility and availability allows for the constant intrusion into people’s lives. Mobile phones enable the coercive control of women within close proximity but also facilitate opportunities to silently and easily extend the boundaries of controlling behaviour further than ever before. Drawing on the work of Foucault and his thoughts on power this paper offers some insight into how mobile phones might be used by perpetrators in the coercive control of women and the potential impact of these changes on the survivors. This paper argues that old models to understand and intervene in domestic abuse need to be reconsidered, as they may no longer ‘fit’ with the dawn of new technology. Practitioners need to understand how men use mobile phones in domestic abuse situations and the impact of thesechanges on women. This knowledge is all the more relevant given recent UK legislative changes, in the form of S47 of the Serious Crimes Act 2015, and its recognition of coercive control as a tactic used by perpetrators of domestic abuse. Mobile phones, if used alongside this legislation, could enable practitioners and policy makers to gain a better understanding of ‘modern’ domestic abuse.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 6 Sept 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | European Conference of Domestic Violence 2017 - FPCEUP - Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Duration: 6 Sept 2017 → 9 Sept 2017 |
Conference
| Conference | European Conference of Domestic Violence 2017 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Portugal |
| City | Porto |
| Period | 6/09/17 → 9/09/17 |
| Other | The II European Conference on Domestic Violence will bring together researchers, academics, doctoral students, practitioners, and policy makers, and is designed to: Connect research and intervention within the field of domestic violence Exchange knowledge, good practices and methodologies which best contribute to the protection of victims and to the eradication of domestic and gender violence Share scientific results which inform the construction of social and legal policies regarding domestic and gender violence Promote networking among professionals and experts in this field Develop research and practice networks, methods and tools on preventing and combatting domestic violence. |
Keywords
- mobile phones
- domestic abuse
- foucault
