[Research] Perpetrators of gender-based violence online – Roadmap for investigations

The World Wide Web Foundation, established in 2009 by Rosemary Leith and the inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, strives to promote an open, safe, reliable, and empowering web for everyone. One of the main obstacles to realizing this vision is the prevalence and persistence of online gender-based violence (OGBV). Therefore, in partnership with Women’s Rights Online (WRO), a global network of leading organizations in gender justice and digital rights, they have used the proven model of Technological Policy Design Labs (TPDL) to convene human-centered design approaches to better diagnose the scope of these problems and build multi-stakeholder solutions.

The research team on perpetrators developed a research methodology to identify and gather existing information from various actors around the world. The first phase marked the initial stage of an ongoing effort to better understand the current state of research on perpetrators of online gender-based violence (OGBV) by collecting and reviewing over 50 relevant documents from different regions of the world. Following the data collection process, a series of TPDL workshops were held, each dedicated to developing a research roadmap to identify research gaps and generate knowledge about perpetrators of online gender-based violence. These materials collectively contributed to the creation of this final document.

Through an actionable research roadmap, the project seeks to address knowledge gaps in understanding perpetrators of online gender-based violence. This roadmap will synthesize existing research, identify key areas for future research, and recommend research methodologies. It will also mention researchers and research groups qualified to lead this effort, ensuring its effectiveness and relevance in guiding future research and intervention strategies.

Organisations involved in this process included TEDIC (Paraguay), Pollicy (Uganda), Sulá Batsú (Costa Rica), Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Media Foundation for West Africa (Ghana), Fundación Karisma (Colombia), HOPE for Mozambique, and Pen to Paper, with support and guidance from Social Finance (United Kingdom).