Beyond the screen: the digital dimension of violence against women
An intimate photograph shared without consent. An ex-partner who, using geolocation tools, continues to track his partner’s every move. Hundreds of threatening and sexist messages flooding a journalist’s social media profiles simultaneously. A woman’s personal data being circulated online so that others can target her. A face artificially superimposed onto a body that is not her own, to create a sexually explicit image. These are different forms of violence, but they share one common element: technology, which is no longer merely the means through which violence (verbal, stalking, etc.) is perpetrated, but can become the space in which it takes place, multiplies, intensifies and persists over time. The instantaneous and potentially global dissemination of content, the possibility of replicating it ad infinitum, the anonymity or multiplicity of perpetrators, and the difficulty of escaping digital surveillance can endow such behaviour with a capacity for intimidation, control and victimisation that is often greater than that of traditional forms of violence.
It is no coincidence that Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence has devoted unprecedented attention to digital violence in EU law. Alongside the non-consensual sharing of intimate material – which also extends to material manipulated using artificial intelligence and so-called ‘deepfakes’ – the European legislator takes into account cyberstalking and online harassment, including, amongst other things, cyberflashing and doxing, as well as online incitement to violence or hatred. This choice is significant: violence against women is no longer considered solely in its physical or interpersonal dimension, but also in its ability to take root and proliferate in digital environments and to use technology to reproduce and amplify dynamics of domination, control and oppression. Of course, such behaviour can affect anyone, although women and teenage girls are a particularly vulnerable group.
To understand gender-based violence in its contemporary forms, it is not enough simply to update legal frameworks, nor to focus on the punishment of behaviour that is (already) harmful. We must examine the cultural and social contexts that fuel it, the changes brought about by the digital environment and, above all, the synergies that need to be harnessed to prevent or stop violence before it leads to irreparable consequences. Addressing these phenomena therefore means fostering dialogue between different fields of knowledge, recognising that preventing and combating violence, and protecting victims, require expertise in law, psychology, criminology, sociology, education and social work.
It is from this perspective that the project ‘Violence against women and its digital evolution: a dialogue between legal and psychosocial disciplines’ gets underway, promoted by the Federico Stella School of Criminal Justice at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan campus, and co-funded by the Lombardy Region. First and foremost, the project offers a multidisciplinary specialist course, entirely free of charge, which will take place from November 2026 to March 2027 at the Milan campus of the Catholic University, aimed at PhD students from various disciplines, but is also open to professionals, with the aim of addressing specific issues in order to identify concrete actions for the prevention and combating of violence against women, adolescents and girls, including its digital manifestations. The seminar-style lessons will therefore focus not only on legal provisions and institutions, but also on the experiences of victims, the psychological and social consequences of violence, and practical options for intervention.
The same rationale underlies the project’s other initiatives: creating opportunities for dialogue between generations and professions, bringing the topic into educational settings, supporting research and promoting new knowledge, developing new skills and fostering new perspectives, through school-to-work training programmes for secondary school pupils, scientific publications, seminars and the awarding of a degree prize.
