Intersectional Perspectives on Technology-Facilitated Sexualized Violence: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Postsecondary Institution Materials - Flora Oswald Amanda Champion, Sean Pearson, & Cory L. Pedersen

 

Technology-facilitated sexualized violence (TFSV) is a growing concern in educational, public health, and public policy spaces, with severe implications for health and well-being. In particular, young adults are at particularly high risk of TFSV victimization, which is compounded by structural sexism, heterosexism, colonialism, racism, and additional forms of oppression. Applied research on current TFSV educational awareness, prevention, and intervention materials/resources available for postsecondary students and employees (e.g. staff, administrators, and faculty) is lacking. In late 2022-early 2023, we conducted an environmental scan of TFSV resources at 25 public postsecondary institutions (PSIs) in British Columbia, Canada. The purpose was to identify TFSV-specific institutional materials/resources including support services for TFSV victim-survivors and educational training/resources on TFSV victimization (e.g. response workshops, awareness campaigns, etc.). Content analyses of identified TFSV resources examined intersectional considerations. We identified an overwhelming lack of TFSV-specific resources, with only one PSI indicating any such resources. Follow-up interviews with PSI employees in sexualized violence responding roles (N = 6) confirmed a dearth of institutional TFSV information and resources. We identified a pressing need for additional funding to support the development and implementation of TFSV-specific resources, particularly those incorporating intersectional frameworks. To reduce the harms associated with TFSV, which are shaped by systems of oppression, we call for the development of “living” TFSV resources, centralization of these resources, increased funding for professional development and policy implementation, and the incorporation and valuation of intersectional praxis at all stages of policy development and implementation.

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Article published in The Journal of Women & Gender in Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/26379112.2025.2516458