Supporting Survivors of Digital Harm: Findings from Hamilton, Ontario's Gender-Based Violence Sector

Abstract

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an increasingly urgent concern in Canada, as digital tools have become central infrastructures through which abuse, coercion, and surveillance are enacted. Despite being at the forefront of responding to these rapidly evolving harms, frontline gender-based violence (GBV) service providers are rarely recognized as experts in shaping policy, prevention strategies, or systemic responses.

This project examines the perspectives of service providers across the Greater Hamilton Area who support survivors experiencing TFGBV. Drawing on in-depth video consultations with frontline staff, crisis workers, public educators, organizational leaders, and survivor advocacy groups at four local GBV organizations, the study investigates how TFGBV manifests in service provision, identifies gaps in resources and institutional supports, and gathers recommendations grounded in practitioner expertise.

The findings demonstrate that technology functions as a core infrastructure of contemporary gender-based violence; institutional responses frequently minimize digital abuse; frontline providers lack structured digital safety training and resources; TFGBV is increasingly shaping youth peer relationships and digital cultures; artificial intelligence–enabled harms are intensifying; and survivor-informed knowledge remains insufficiently integrated into policy and prevention frameworks.

Recommendations include developing practice-oriented TFGBV training; adopting trauma-informed, survivor-centered approaches; recognizing the intersecting dimensions of digital violence; ensuring ongoing, accessible professional learning; targeting education toward key stakeholders; fostering collaborative capacity-building; formally recognizing GBV organizations as experts in digital violence; providing sustained institutional support and funding; establishing cross-sector coordination mechanisms; and meaningfully engaging GBV expertise in platform governance.