TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of technology in improving access to justice for victims of family violence
T2 - challenges and opportunities
AU - Domingo-Cabarrubias, Leavides
AU - Woodlock, Delanie
AU - Alexander, Christopher
AU - Sato, Mai
AU - Grant, Genevieve
AU - Weinberg, Jacqueline
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their detailed and insightful suggestions and comments, and Christine Zhong and Khoi Cao for their research assistance. This publication was made possible by funding received from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund.
Funding Information:
In 2021, the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation at Monash University was funded by the Victorian Government to conduct an applied research project on how remote technologies can be used to enhance access to justice for victims/survivors of DFV in Australia. The Access to Justice, Family Violence and Technology Research Program (the Legal Tech for Justice Project) will use the Monash Law Clinics (MLCs) as a pilot research site. The project is particularly focused on innovations in the delivery of legal assistance to clients or potential clients of community legal services. As part of the development stages for this project, interviews were conducted with seven legal practitioners in Victoria, who were chosen based on their active involvement in MLCs, particularly in the area of DFV. They were interviewed about their experiences on the use of remote technology to support victims of DFV, and the extent to which COVID-19 changed the ways in which technology is utilised in providing services. The interviewees were also asked to share their insights on the limitations, downsides, and risks in relying on the current forms of technology, as well as the potential for future innovations to address the barriers faced by victims of violence in their engagement with legal processes.1 Interviews were conducted online using teleconferencing software and lasted up to an hour.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author's 2023.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - In Australia, domestic and family violence (DFV) is a major health and human rights issue. Technology is increasingly being recognised as an important tool to assist victims/survivors of DFV in accessing legal services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology has been rapidly rolled out to assist victims/survivors obtain legal advice and protection orders, and to participate in judicial processes. This article focuses on the experiences of lawyers in Victoria who have been using technology as part of their work to support victims/survivors of DFV. Interviews with the lawyers reveal that while technology plays a crucial role in enhancing access to justice for victims of DFV, it can also present risks, particularly in view of perpetrators' increasing use of technology to facilitate violence. Technology may also replicate the barriers already faced by many victims when seeking justice. These issues arise because, often, technology is not designed based on the needs of the victims/survivors. This article argues that to ensure the safety and security of DFV victims/survivors and to facilitate their access to justice, the development and design of technology must be victim-centric and trauma-informed.
AB - In Australia, domestic and family violence (DFV) is a major health and human rights issue. Technology is increasingly being recognised as an important tool to assist victims/survivors of DFV in accessing legal services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology has been rapidly rolled out to assist victims/survivors obtain legal advice and protection orders, and to participate in judicial processes. This article focuses on the experiences of lawyers in Victoria who have been using technology as part of their work to support victims/survivors of DFV. Interviews with the lawyers reveal that while technology plays a crucial role in enhancing access to justice for victims of DFV, it can also present risks, particularly in view of perpetrators' increasing use of technology to facilitate violence. Technology may also replicate the barriers already faced by many victims when seeking justice. These issues arise because, often, technology is not designed based on the needs of the victims/survivors. This article argues that to ensure the safety and security of DFV victims/survivors and to facilitate their access to justice, the development and design of technology must be victim-centric and trauma-informed.
KW - domestic and family violence
KW - victim-centric
KW - access to justice
KW - technology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163593767&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5204/lthj.2469
DO - 10.5204/lthj.2469
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85163593767
SN - 2652-4074
VL - 5
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Law, Technology and Humans
JF - Law, Technology and Humans
IS - 1
ER -
