Exploring how technology is used to control, exploit, and monitor victims’ finances and providing practical strategies and solutions.
Date: November 26, Economic Abuse Awareness Day at 12:30pm EST
Save the date! On November 26th, Economic Abuse Awareness Day, join us for a panel discussion exploring the complexities of technology-facilitated economic abuse. Experts from diverse fields will share insights into how technology is used to control, exploit, and monitor victims’ finances. The discussion will highlight the challenges, practical strategies and solutions to address these issues, helping protect survivors and restore their financial independence.
Panelists:
Rhiannon Wong
Rhiannon Wong is the Project Manager for Women’s Shelters Canada’s new Technology Safety Canada project. Through her project addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence, Rhiannon has been developing practical technology safety resources and training for Canadian anti-violence workers that addresses how technology can be used both to keep survivors safe and misused by perpetrators to commit crimes of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, impersonation and harassment.
Rhiannon was selected as a member of the official Canadian delegation to the 67th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, where she presented Tech Safety Canada. For more information about the project in English visit www.techsafety.ca or in French https://securitetech.ca/
Dr. Natasha Tusikov
Dr. Tusikov’s research examines the intersection among law, crime, technology, and regulation. She is a senior fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Canada and a visiting fellow with the Justice and Technoscience Lab (JusTech Lab), School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at the Australian National University. She is co-author (with Blayne Haggart) of The New Knowledge: Information, Data, and the Remaking of Global Power (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). She is the author of Chokepoints: Global Private Regulation on the Internet (University of California Press, 2017). She is a co-editor of Information, Technology and Control in a Changing World: Understanding Power Structures in the 21st Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). Dr. Tusikov is also co-editor of Power and Authority in Internet Governance: Return of the State? (Routledge, 2021). Her research has been published in Surveillance & Society and Internet Policy Review. Before obtaining her PhD at the Australian National University, she was a strategic criminal intelligence analyst and researcher at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa.
Emma Pickering, Refuge
Emma Pickering is a dedicated professional, with extensive experience in the VAWG sector. Her career at Refuge began in 2017 when she joined as a MARAC coordinator within the Warwickshire service. Emma joined the Tech Abuse team in January 2018 at the beginning of the project. Currently the Head of Tech & Economic Abuse, Emma plays a pivotal role at Refuge.
Emma’s commitment to preventing technology-facilitated domestic abuse is evident in her pursuit of specialised training. She received Tech Abuse training from SafetyNet, and trained as an IRIS Advocate Educator. Her academic background, including a BA Honours degree in Working with Young People and Services from De Montfort University, and a Masters Degree in Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic and Sexual Violence from the University of Worcester, has equipped her with extensive knowledge of the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse. Emma is further exploring the subject, in ongoing PhD studies at Birmingham City University, titled “Evaluating the role of domestic homicide Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Domestic Homicide.”
Emma’s commitment to preventing technology-facilitated domestic abuse is evident in her pursuit of specialised training. She received Tech Abuse training from SafetyNet, and trained as an IRIS Advocate Educator. Her academic background, including a BA Honours degree in Working with Young People and Services from De Montfort University, and a Masters Degree in Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic and Sexual Violence from the University of Worcester, has equipped her with extensive knowledge of the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse. Emma is further exploring the subject, in ongoing PhD studies at Birmingham City University, titled “Evaluating the role of domestic homicide Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Domestic Homicide.”
During her time at university, Emma engaged in a project in The Gambia, actively working to end the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. This involved working with both victims and practitioners to educate and drive positive change.
As a Churchill Fellow, Emma is an advocate for survivors of technology-facilitated domestic abuse. Her expertise in the intersection of tech and economic abuse has equipped Emma in leading a team, who provide direct support to women and children facing these challenges. Emma manages external partnerships and stakeholders, collaborating closely with Refuge’s policy and fundraising teams to generate income and foster growth within her team. Additionally, Emma plays a crucial role in shaping legislative asks to improve responses for survivors of technology-facilitated abuse, leading to more positive outcomes within the VAWG sector.
