What would you do if your friend’s boyfriend started monitoring her location and requesting access to her phone?
Before you begin (trigger warning)
While discussing gender-based violence (GBV) can be important for healing and raising awareness, it's also essential to protect yourself and be mindful of personal triggers. Triggers can be experiences that cause a person to recall a traumatic event. For example, graphic images of violence might be triggering for some people. If anything here triggers you, it's okay to step back and focus on your safety and well-being. Seek out resources if needed, or try self-care strategies (PDF) like exercise, meditation, or spending time with loved ones to feel grounded and in control.
Scenario 7
Read the following scenario and consider whether this would be GBV. Then, respond with what you would do in this situation.
Your friend's boyfriend insists she share her location with him so he can "make sure she's safe."
He ends up monitoring her location constantly and making her feel guilty whenever she goes anywhere – like the gym, the mall, or a friend's house after school.
He accuses her of lying about where she's going and who she's spending time with. He demands access to her phone and her messages so she can "prove it." Sometimes, he shows up wherever she is unexpectedly to check in on her.
Scenario 7 complete
Well done! You've completed Scenario 7: Location monitoring. You now understand that technology-facilitated GBV can look like exploiting technology to hurt or control someone, and how to support a friend.
It's important to note that acts of GBV like this one can be amplified over time, leading to other forms of GBV.
Remember, these three steps are essential in addressing instances of GBV.
