Information and communication technologies as a means of committing domestic violence

Abstract

Rapid digitalization has significantly transformed interpersonal communication and reshaped the ways in which domestic violence manifests in contemporary society. The widespread use of information and communication technologies has created new mechanisms of control, coercion, and influence within private relationships, requiring comprehensive theoretical reflection on their role in the structure of abusive behavior. The research focuses on examining ICT as a technologically determined method of committing psychological, economic, and sexual violence within domestic settings. It is substantiated that the use of electronic communications, social networks, messengers, digital platforms, and online resources does not constitute an independent form of violence but rather modifies traditional forms by expanding their instrumental capacity. Psychological abuse may be carried out through cyberstalking, digital surveillance, online humiliation, or threats; economic abuse may involve restricting access to online banking or electronic financial resources; sexual abuse may include coercion into producing intimate content or the non-consensual dissemination of private materials. Regardless of the technological medium employed, the substantive and legal nature of such acts remains unchanged. The study argues against recognizing cyber violence as a separate ontological category, emphasizing that it does not introduce a fundamentally new qualitative characteristic of abuse but reflects the technological transformation of established forms. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of improving legislative regulation by clarifying existing definitions of domestic violence and explicitly acknowledging the possibility of committing such acts through electronic communication tools. This approach ensures doctrinal consistency, aligns legal regulation with the realities of the digital age, and strengthens protective mechanisms for victims.