Mapping responses to TFIPV across the Majority World

In July 2025 with support from Numun Fund, The Engine Room conducted a brief research study to better understand the actors, needs and key trends in responding to technology-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV).

Through this research, our objective was to better understand:

1. how organizations across the Majority World  are addressing technology-facilitated intimate partner violence (TFIPV);and 

2. how organizations are integrating technology in efforts to combat TFIPV.  

In this blog we share our key findings and learnings from this research. 

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the research process and mapping exercise, through sharing and/or filling out the survey and participating in interviews. 

Background

UN Women defines technology-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) as “any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms.” 

In practice, TFGBV takes the form of sexual harassment, stalking, blackmail (or sextortion), non-consensual image or video sharing, catfishing, surveillance, and other methods of control and abuse. Technologically facilitated intimate partner violence (TFIPV) can look like partners or ex-partners using digital technologies to stalk, intimidate and control their victims.The repercussions of this violence can be seen both online and offline. 

We initially assumed that IPV would appear as a distinct category, separate from other forms of TFGBV. However, interviews revealed a semantic overlap: terms such as IPV, TFGBV, online GBV and domestic violence were all used interchangeably to discuss harms committed by former and current partners. In this context, we are most interested in how this violence manifests between partners and ex-partners, and the majority of examples included in this blog, fall under what we are calling TFIPV. 

With technology permeating all aspects of our lives, TFGBV and IPV are manifesting in new and intrusive ways. Harm is inflicted through social media, messaging apps, location tracking, gaming platforms, and emerging technologies like deepfakes and AI tools. Our research found that organizations are also mobilizing to respond to these threats and using technology to do so – creating avenues for redress, channels for incident reporting, evidence collection, support circles, and safe online spaces. 

We are inspired by those considering the impacts of TFGBV and IPV in conflict zones and for criminalized and marginalized groups. Likewise, we recognize those conducting outreach and prevention in rural communities using low-tech tools, and those  exploring how emerging technologies can be  leveraged to counter online violence. 

Read more on why this work matters here. 

About the research

The research consisted of six in-depth interviews, a qualitative survey and desk research. Learn more about each of our interviewees and their work: 

1. TechHer, Nigeria 
2. Gender Rights in Tech (GRIT), South Africa 
3. Raise Your Voice, St Lucia 
4. Internet Bolivia, Bolivia 
5. Fe-Male, Lebanon 
6. Speak Up, Egypt 

This exploratory research resulted in a mapping of 60 organizations across Sub-Saharan Africa, SWANA, Latin America and the Caribbean and South Asia who are responding to TFGBV and IPV. This is only a snapshot of all the vital work being done to provide access to resources, avenues of redress, prevention, care, and support for survivors.

Key findings on how TFIPV manifests across different regions

Below we outline some of the key findings from this research on how TFIPV shows up and what tools and technologies facilitate this harm. 

• TFIPV manifests in contexts of low connectivity with the use of affordable, low-tech devices: Desk research surfaced that TFIPV often takes place through  smart technology or the ‘Internet of Things,’ as well as stalkware and spyware. However,  our interviews revealed that incidents frequently involve accessible, low-cost platforms, particularly in remote, low connectivity or rural contexts. WhatsApp was the most frequently cited channel for sharing non-consensual intimate images, followed by dating sites, social media platforms such as Telegram and Snapchat, and gaming platforms.
• Emerging technologies such as stalkerware or AI are being leveraged to perpetrate new forms of TFGBV and IPV: The growing availability and affordability of emerging technologies such as AI and spyware are changing the landscape of intimate partner violence (IPV). Cheap and widely accessible apps and tools are making it easier for perpetrators to inflict harm online while also creating opportunities for innovative interventions and support systems. Surveillance applications and spyware, in particular, are becoming increasingly normalized through targeted advertising and algorithmic recommendations on social media, embedding them more deeply into the dynamics of abuse.
• There is a need for holistic responses to TFIPV that consider offline effects of IPV, technical challenges of new technologies and material needs that enable survivors to leave abusive relationships. 

Regional trends in responding to TFGBV and IPV

Our research highlighted four key regions: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Latin America and the Caribbean, South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) and South Asia. Through interviews and surveys, we learned how cultural norms shape what is considered to be TFIPV, as well as the corresponding stigma attached to it. For instance, sharing non-consensual photos of hijabi women without hijabs as a way to threaten or silence ex-partners was named as a tactic in both Egypt and Nigeria. 

Below we outline a non-exhaustive list of some of the regional trends we identified through our mapping process (desk research, survey and interviews): 

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, organizations are prioritizing digital care, safety, autonomy and privacy in their efforts to combat TFGBV and educate communities. 
• Across SSA, organizations are working to address TFGBV through helplines and chatbots, evidence collection tools, digital literacy and security training, legal aid, and sharing resources on TFGBV. This region had multiple examples of AI used to power chatbots and apps. 
• In SWANA organizations are providing online safe spaces, content takedowns, and legal aid. Interviewees emphasized the need for more region-specific and Arabic-language resources on digital security and literacy. There is also a need for sustainable funding to continue TFGBV advocacy and services, especially in periods of crisis and conflict. 
• In South Asia, we found initiatives to redact slurs on online platforms, provide helplines, use AI based visualizations for mapping incidents and connecting to legal aid. 

Mapping tech as a site of resistance

A key objective of this research was to spotlight the ways in which organizations are using technology to respond to TFIPV. Research has shown that technology offers methods of combating isolation for survivors, providing avenues for redress, case reporting and justice, equipping survivors with digital safety plans, creating virtual safe spaces, and building evidence collection systems. 

While we highlight technological responses in this research, those we spoke to are addressing TFGBV and IPV in a myriad of ways — from holistic care, connecting survivors with shelters and lawyers, creating support circles, and providing accessible reporting mechanisms. Ultimately, TFIPV is a product of misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and patriarchy; thus, fighting these structures requires multi-pronged approaches that address root causes. 

Through this research, we mapped out four main types of tech responses organizations are using to respond to TFIPV. Below  are examples for each category. 

1. Training and awareness: Includes digital literacy programing, digital security training, resources on TFGBV.

2. Helplines and reporting channels: Includes WhatsApp helplines, chatbots (some AI enabled), case reporting channels, hotlines providing psychosocial services and legal referrals.

3. Evidence collection and forensics: Tools for collecting and storing evidence, digital forensics.

4. Content moderation and takedowns: Takedown requests on social media, AI plug in to redact slurs, helplines for content removals.

Future research

This research is a brief snapshot into the vital work being done to combat and address the repercussions of TFGBV and IPV. Organizations are working under immense pressure, with little funding, to stay up to date on emerging harms, educate youth, law enforcement and legal authorities on how TFGBV and IPV manifests and how to stay safe online. Bolstering digital security and digital literacy, survivor support channels and creating actual pathways for justice were all identified as critical needs. We hope that this work inspires future research and action in understanding how TFGBV and IPV occur across the Majority World and strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to these harms. 

Get in touch

If you’re interested in learning more about this research, please reach out to our team!