The age of ultra-connectivity: a growing threat or an opportunity to combat violence against women? 

In 2024, 68% of the world’s population had an Internet connection¹. According to a study by the United Nations Population Fund in 2021, 38% of women worldwide claim to have been victims of cyber-violence, a figure that is constantly rising.  

According to the Quebec government, cyberviolence – or cyberbullying – refers to all violent or threatening behaviors committed using information and communication technologies (ICT). 

This online violence can be gendered, targeting women, girls, LGBTQIA2S+ people and people with disabilities as a priority². The following discussion focuses on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), defined by UN Women as “any act committed or amplified using digital tools or technologies that causes physical, sexual, psychological, social, political or economic harm ”².   

Cyberviolence: what are we really talking about? 

Forms of cyberviolence 

There are many forms of cyber-violence, which can occur in the personal, school or professional sphere. Here are just a few examples:  

Understanding at-risk contexts  

Anyone with a digital identity may be exposed to cyberviolence. This identity includes the traces left voluntarily or involuntarily during online activities. Factors such as age, gender, social characteristics and frequency of technology use influence the risk of cyber-violence. According to a study by the Canadian Women’s Foundation³, cyberviolence can generate: 

• Stress; 

• anxiety; 

• fear; 

• low self-esteem; 

• sleep disorders; 

• social isolation.  

At school, violence creeps online: cyberviolence in the academic environment 

According to a 2022 study by McAfee, 57% of young Quebecers aged 10 to 18 have already experienced some form of cyberviolence. In a school context, this can take the form of exclusion, mockery or even the dissemination of intimate content.  

A few initiatives have been launched to raise awareness among young people:  

• TV series : Thirteen Reasons Why, or more recently Adolescence, used as educational tools in some countries, highlight the consequences of cyberviolence and open up discussions between young people⁴ ; 

• Immersive workshops :  The More Harm Than Good reality workshop offered by the Women’s Y of Montreal helps identify helpful and harmful behaviors when faced with a situation of cyberviolence;  

• Community resources: The Édusex coalition offers manuals, posters, games, tools and other activities for school workers. Available for primary and secondary school levels, many resources address the issues of cyberviolence.  

When harassment comes to work  

In 2020, according to Statistics Canada⁵, 47% of women have already been victims of sexual harassment or assault at work, compared with 31% of men.  

In the workplace, cyberviolence can take many forms, subtle and insidious yet destructive: e-mail overload, unwanted calls, threatening messages, digital surveillance, off-the-clock pressure, etc. Cyber-violence can emanate from colleagues and managers, but also from external partners such as customers.  

In Quebec, employers have a legal responsibility to protect their employees. Combating Harassment: A Prepared Entry into the Job Market, training course, offered by the Women’s Y of Montreal, raises awareness of the different forms of violence in the workplace, and provides information on employers’ legal obligations and available resources. To promote inclusive and safe workplaces, it is essential to implement practices that promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Where are you from?, trains professionals on the impact of microaggressions and unconscious biases on well-being at work. 

Personal and intimate relationships, digital control: a new frontier of domestic violence 

According to Women’s Shelter Canada, in 2022, over 95% of domestic violence shelters in Canada welcomed women survivors of TFGBV.  

Rhiannonn Wong, Project Manager for Tech Security Canada, points out that “abusers are often looking for other ways in which they can continue the abuse or the threats and harassment, the gaslighting, the coercive control, of their partner or ex-partner “.  

As part of its awareness and prevention efforts, Tech Security Canada offers several resources to alert people to the risk of technology misuse in the context of domestic violence:  

Information sheets on the various forms of malicious misuse of ICT (non-exhaustive list): 

• Monitoring communications (calls, messages, e-mails, calendar) and browsing history; 

• location tracking via GPS, applications or tracking devices; 

• control of connected objects (speakers, lights, heating, home-opening and closing systems, cameras); 

• financial harassment via banking applications and electronic transfers.  

A variety of tools to reach a wide audience:  

• Educational videos; 

• prevention, support and accompaniment toolkits for  survivors, their families and friends and psychosocial workers. 

Economic and financial cyber-violence: an insidious form with long-term consequences 

In 2023, National Australia Bank (NAB)  blocked over 200 000 abusive bank transactions, thanks to a keyword filtering system.  

Financial transaction harassment is a tactic used by abusers to maintain control over survivors of domestic violence.  

Despite restraining orders, repeated small transfers of $0.01, accompanied by threatening messages, constitute psychological abuse for survivors: they amplify fear, anxiety and a sense of abusive control by their abuser. These transfers are sometimes impossible to refuse, especially when their ex-spouse’s alimony payments are at stake. Blocking the receipt of transfers could therefore jeopardize their financial stability.  

These abusive transfers can lead to a tragedy. On October 23, 2023, Angie Sweeny, a survivor of domestic violence, was killed by her ex-spouse. After being harassed with transfers, Angie had blocked them from her various applications. A few hours before her femicide, her ex-spouse had sent her several $0.01 transfers, accompanied by insulting and threatening messages.  

Following a spike in abusive transfers during the Covid-19 pandemic, several banks such as NAB developed transaction filtering systems and the ability to block the receipt of transfers from certain accounts. Since 2025, thanks to the mobilization of organizations such as Women’s Shelter Canada, tools such as opt-out on Interac make it possible to deactivate the message field for specific senders.  

The digital response: digital tools to combat violence against women  

 Get informed, get equipped, take action: resources to regain power 

Although they can be misused, ICTs offer levers that enable people to get involved and take action in the fight against violence, such as initiatives:  

• Project Tech Safety Canada: videos, guides and tools for survivors, relatives and interveners in situations of TFGBV. Specific resources for indigenous communities are also available.  

• Association for Progressive communications (APC) : A network of organizations and activists, the site brings together tools for training, awareness-raising and prevention. These resources focus on feminist internet issues – making the internet a safe and freely accessible space, regardless of a person’s gender, sexual orientation or origins – digital inclusion and internet governance.  

• Reprends ton espace numérique (available in French only): a project run by L’R des centres de femmes du Québec offers free online courses for survivors of cyber-violence, community organizations and the public. The courses focus on how to recognize and deal with cyber-violence.  

• Cyberviolence, agir et prévenir (available in French only): result of a collaboration between Relais-femmes and the Université du Québec à Montréal, this free online training course is designed for those working with youth groups aged 14 to 25. Organized into 4 phases, it provides guidance on how to intervene, act and prevent, while offering a bank of resources and ready-to-use tools.  

Technological and functional tools 

Faced with the misuse of ICT for violent purposes, several organizations and initiatives are committed to creating tools to protect your devices, networks and online data:  

• Tech without violence : developed in Ottawa by a network of organizations committed to survivors of violence, the project focuses on women’s cybersafety. The site includes guides, lists of tools and features to implement for safe ICT use.  

• YWCA Safety Siren : this application, available in French and English, features an emergency alarm that can be activated by pressing on the cell phone, the ability to send emergency messages to loved ones or the authorities, information on health and safety in Canada, and a Q&A section for young women, focusing on the issues of intimate and relational violence.  

 Activism in the digital age: campaigns and movements that get things moving 

Finally, it’s also possible to commit to a safer, more inclusive digital space by joining movements and campaigns online and close to home:  

• Take Back The Tech! : a global campaign involving 24 countries to encourage women and LGBTQIA2S+ people to use ICTs as tools for activism and support against online violence. The platform features fact sheets, as well as news of commitments, campaigns and actions against gender-based cyber-violence close to home. 

• #StopLesCyberviolences : run in Quebec by Juripop, Ruelle Films and Concordia University, this campaign offers awareness-raising tools using video vignettes, teaching materials to tackle cyberbullying in primary and secondary schools, as well as legal and psychological resources for survivors and their loved ones.  

Conclusion 

Digital technologies, which have become ubiquitous, are as many vectors of violence as they are springboards for emancipation. 

While institutions are lagging in recognizing the dangers faced by women, queer people, people with disabilities and people from marginalized communities, the work of non-profit organizations, activists and academics is enabling the emergence of concrete initiatives to make digital spaces safer for everyone.  

References

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2024). Global Internet Use Continues to Rise but Disparities Remain. Global Internet use continues to rise but disparities remain | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)  

2. ONU Femmes (2024). Violence Basée sur le Genre Facilitée par la Technologie : Élaboration d’un programme partagé de recherche. 27p. technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-shared-research-agenda-fr.pdf  

3. Fondation Canadienne des Femmes (2025). Lutter contre la violence numérique fondée sur le genre. 111p. Lutter contre la violence numérique fondée sur le genre  

4. Moignard B. (2020). « Chapitre 1. Les cyberviolences : un « nouveau » problème public ? », Jeunesse, genre et violence 2.0 : Des filles et des garçons face aux cyberviolences à l’école, p. 31 à 51. Chapitre I. Les cyberviolences : un « nouveau » problème public ? | Cairn.info  

Statistique Canada (2024). Cadre des résultats relatifs aux genres : nouveau tableau de données sur le harcèlement en milieu de travail Le Quotidien — Cadre des résultats relatifs aux genres : nouveau tableau de données sur le harcèlement en milieu de travail