The challenges of tackling digital violence against women in police work, the criminal procedure, and support services

The digitalization and the development of communication technologies have changed the forms and consequences of violence against women. For example, intimate partner violence and post-separation stalking are increasingly happening through technology, as is harassment, threats and hate speech against women in politics. The seriousness and significance of the change is reflected in GREVIO's recent recommendations on the "digital dimension" of violence against women. In the public debate, it has been pointed out that the handling of many crimes related to digital violence and the sentences obtained for the crimes seem like a lottery. The same crime can lead to a conviction in one place, while in another the investigation is not even started.

The study is a part of the Finnish Government funded project “The challenges of tackling digital violence against women in police work, the criminal procedure, and support services”. The study investigates the characteristics and prevalence of digital violence against women and the progression of cases in the criminal procedure in Finland. The data consists of crime reports recorded in the Police Affairs information system and investigation memos from years 2018 and 2019, as well as interviews conducted in 2022-2023 with police students, police officers, prosecutors, and representatives of support services.

In the study we examine how digital violence is recorded in crime reports and handled by the police. We also analyze the actions, decisions, and justifications of the authorities at different stages of the criminal procedure. The information produced in the research can be used in police degree and in-service training, and in the in-service training of prosecutors to identify, record and investigate digital violence more efficiently and more fairly.