11 Apr Speaking Out Online: Perspectives from Survivors, Researchers, and Lawyers
Join us to discuss the increasing threats of defamation and lawsuits faced by gender-based violence survivors disclosing abuse online.
From 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM ET
At Online via Zoom
Free
Presented by the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force
The New York Cyber Abuse Task Force is hosting a short free conference that unites experts from an array of lived experiences to discuss the landscape of disclosing stories of abuse online.
We will hear from legal experts, researchers, and survivor activists to determine how survivors and their advocates can navigate these obstacles together. The conference will be held as a part of a recognition of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month on April 26, 2022 from 2-5 p.m. EST.
Sharing personal stories of abuse online can help survivors of gender-based violence reclaim their agency, process their trauma, and ultimately heal from their abuse. Bearing witness in this way can also bring unanticipated consequences such as threats, defamation, and lawsuits that add layers of complexity to a survivor’s personal path toward healing and justice.
Schedule
Panel 1: Online Abuse and Survivorship
Emerging social scientific research is crucial to better understand what the adequate response and support is needed for the survivors. Panelists will discuss the emerging findings on the types of technologies and the common threats encountered by survivors, the challenges that survivors face in their path to recovery, and resources that are currently available to them, as well as the current response to the issue and strategies for working with survivors.
Panel 2: The Legal Landscape of Disclosing Abuse Online
Survivors increasingly face threats of defamation and lawsuits after disclosing abuse online. Panelists will dicsuss the elements, defenses, burden of proof, and damages for defamation claims and discuss how defamation claims are, increasingly, being used to prevent or retaliate against reports of gender-based violence and sexual harassment and assault.
Panel 3: Survivor Voices in Speaking Out Online
Our work is centered around the lived experience and expertise of survivors. In this panel, we will hear survivors’ stories of their disclosures on social media, the related obstacles and opportunities they encountered, as well as their recommendations for a path forward.
Registration
Register at the link below. A Zoom link will be provided to attendees.
Eventbrite registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speaking-out-online-perspectives-from-survivors-researchers-and-lawyers-tickets-295373779927
Password: CATFConference2022