The Commonwealth Lawyers Association Family Law Committee in partnership with the International Academy of Family Lawyers presents a webinar on “Cybercrime in the intimate partner and honour-based abuse contexts: signs and preventative strategies”
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association and International Academy of Family Lawyers invites you to join us for webinar focusing on “Cybercrime in the intimate partner and honour-based abuse contexts: signs and preventative strategies”.
Over recent years social media has advanced communication on an exponential level, especially in the context of COVID – 19 where most of the world started working virtually, as the outside world shut down. Unfortunately, one of the disadvantages has been an increase of domestic abuse and online abuse against women in the face of the pandemic, this increase has added to an already significant phenomenon. The United Nations have identified online and information and communications technology (ICT) facilitated violence against women and girls as one of the six areas of its focus in responding to COVID-19 related response and recovery efforts.[i]
Amnesty reports that one in five women in the UK have suffered online abuse or harassment… with a worrying 27% saying it included threats of sexual or physical assault.[ii] Social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram have been used as a medium of perpetuating abuse, threats and harassment against women and girls. These threats or abuse are usually sent at a point when a woman or girl has either separated from their male partner or rejected a romantic or sexual advance from an acquaintance or stranger. Amnesty reports that there are also offline consequences of this abuse with 55% saying that they experienced anxiety, stress, or panic attacks as a result. Many faced additional psychological consequences, such as loss of self-esteem and a sense of powerlessness in their ability to respond to the abuse.[iii]
Within this context this webinar will explore gender based violence and how cybercrime against women and girls has become as pervasive form of Intimate partner Violence, in the rising popularity of social media, dissemination of digital images and revenge porn. This can also equate to increased risk of honour based abuse, with child and forced marriage and FGM being an ultimate consequence. The webinar will also seek to explore the common signs, the preventive strategies and also the support services required.
[i] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response/violence-against-women-during-covid-19
[ii] https://www.amnesty.org.uk/online-abuse-women-widespread
[iii] https://www.amnesty.org.uk/online-abuse-women-widespread
This webinar will contain references to sexual, physical and emotional abuse and death which some attendees may find distressing . We are aware that the discussion of trauma may be disturbing at times, and we encourage all attendees to be mindful of this and to feel able to leave the webinar at will, to take care of your well-being.
Date: 17th September 2024
TIME:
8.00 am Jamaica
8.00 am The Bahamas
9.00 am Dominica / Trinidad and Tobago / St Vincent and the Grenadines
1.00 pm United Kingdom / Abuja
2.00 pm Nigeria / Pretoria
3.00 pm Zambia
6.30 pm India
9.00 pm Singapore / Malaysia / Hong Kong
11.00 pm PNG
Chair
- Rachael Kelsey, President International Academy of Family lawyers
Panelist
- Shabina Begum, Partner in the International Child Care department
- Justice Elsie Nwanwuri Thompson, Judge of the High Court of Rivers State
- Lynette Seebaran-Suite SC, Family Lawyer & President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago
- Hon. Justice Olutoyin Abodunde, President Customary Court of Appeal, Ekiti State
- Prof. Corne Davis, Professor at the Department of Strategic Communication, University of Johannesburg