This document summarizes key findings from a study on young people's experiences with interpersonal violence and abuse both online and offline. The study included 100 interviews with young people ages 15-18 in several European countries. Key findings included: 1. Experiences of controlling behavior and surveillance both online and offline were normalized by some youth. This included pressure to share passwords and social media accounts. 2. Sending and receiving unwanted sexual images online was also normalized in some areas, though it caused distress for others, especially in tight-knit communities. 3. Both sexual pressure and physical/emotional violence occurred offline as well, with young women disproportionately impacted. 4. New technologies played a role

2. Young People’s Perspectives on Online and
Offline Experiences of Interpersonal Violence
and Abuse
Nadia Aghtaie, Nicky Stanley, Christine Barter,
Marsha Wood, Cath Larkins, Carolina Overlien,
Per Hellevik, Noemi Deluca, Gianna Cappello,
Susana Pavlou, Stalo Lesta, Georgi Apostolov,
Luiza Shahbazyan

3. Main Aims
1. What is a positive relationship?
2. Experiences of control and surveillance online
and offline
3. Experiences of sending sexual images and
sexual pressure
4. Experiences of physical and emotional
violence
5. Gendered dimensions and impacts of
interpersonal violence and abuse (IPVA)
6. The role of new technologies in offline abuse.

4. Methodology
• Qualitative
• Method: Interviews and vignettes
100 in-depth semi-structured interviews
(91 were included as not all young people
recruited had direct experiences of intimate
violence).
67 female, 24 male
• Recruitment: schools (via pastoral services); youth
camps; workshops; specialist services
• Consent
• Framework analysis

6. What is a positive relationship?
Mutual trust; honesty; effective communication;
giving each other space; boosting each other's
confidence; liking you for who you are; emotional
support and care; feeling safe and mutual
respect:
A good relationship is a relationship where you
and your partner really trust each other, feel that
you can talk to each other about everything and
you can be yourself with the other person.[...] In
a good relationship you can feel free to act
spontaneously without thinking beforehand if you
need to say something (Cyprus, Ianthi 17)

7. Experiences of control and surveillance
online and offline
Normallisation of control & surveillance:
Did not have anything to hide so I gave it to
him [password] (UK, Bethany 15)
If you have nothing to hide – she said – you
shouldn’t have any problem to give it to me
(Italy, Davide 16)
No you will not go out with so and so, no you
won’t wear that dress… I felt that I am 16 and I
felt I am married (Cyprus, Smaragda17)

8. Sending sexual images
• Apart from Cyprus, some had sent sexual images
of themselves.
• Being asked for a sexual image was normalised
in the UK
• In Bulgaria it was considered normal amongst
younger age group
• Regular mutual exchange (Italy, Camilla 16)
• When shared caused a lot of stress (especially:
small communities & religious families)
• More photos were sent due to threat of being
shared

9. Sexual pressure
• Offline sexual pressure and abuse was
more extensive
• Experienced mainly by young women
• Forced touching, kissing, oral sex and
rape
• Sexual pressure was normalised
‘When you are going out with someone
when you are 15, you have sex’ (Norway
Pernille 18)

10. Experiences of emotional violence
• Deceit; derogatory comments; being
humiliated; betraying privacy; violent
outbursts; and extremes rejection followed
by devotion
I beat them with words. This is most hurtful.
(Bulgaria, Stefan 18)
I'd rather, to be honest, I'd rather be beaten
than have emotional pain because I don't deal
with things like that very well (UK, Bethany 15).
Normalisation of abusive behavior: ‘Just the
way he was…’

11. Experiences of physical violence
• Perpetration of physical violence was
sometimes normalised, especially where
alcohol was involved; disobeying their
partner’s wishes; invading their privacy;
as part of someone’s personality
‘You know, he was a bit drunk because we
were coming back from a party and – true –
maybe I shouldn’t have looked at messages
without telling him’ (Italy, Marta 16).

12. The role of new technologies in offline
abuse
• Technology played a significant role in online
insults. This intensified the impact
• Interrelation between online C &S and offline
abuse
‘He had asked me never to speak to a particular boy
who had made a comment on one of the pictures I
posted on FB. Once when he saw me talk to this
boy he was so angry he almost slapped me’
(Cyprus, Tatiana 16)
• Monitoring of messages lead to actual physical
violence.

13. Gendered Impact
• Young men more likely to feel angry, end
the relationship or laugh it off
• Young women more likely to blame
themselves, feel sad, hurt, isolated, lose
confidence, terrified and overpowered
• Damages reputation
• Female virginity and chastity important in
Cyprus

14. www.stiritup.eu
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