Accounts of Brazilian Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Abroad on Smartphones and the Internet: Weapons or Tools?

Access to information and the availability of making an informed and dignified decision are fundamental conditions to any immigrant, especially for women who are victims of intimate partner violence. Unfortunately, information on services for victims of intimate partner violence is not always available or where to find it is not always clearly disseminated. In this context, the advent of the Internet and social networks could have a very important role in changing this scenario, by facilitating the access to necessary information to deal with this situation. Although the Internet can be a useful tool to promote awareness about the issue of intimate partner violence and spread information about how to access social services, the online activity of many victims is monitored and, instead of serving as a tool, smartphones and computers can even become weapons. Victims also reported that information is hard to find and not necessarily available in their native languages. As such, there is an urgent need for up-to-date websites and informational videos to guide victims in resolving practical issues they face. In addition, the Internet and social media can be used to harass and stalk victims, steal money from them, and monitor their activities. With this in mind, this article seeks to discuss the relationship between immigrant victims of intimate partner violence and the use of the Internet, exploring the contradiction of the tool that at times is a means of access to information and independence and, at other times, is used by aggressors to reinforce the violent situation within the home.