The UTA School of Social Work, the Colleges of Engineering and Liberal Arts, and SafeHaven of Tarrant County are partnering to raise awareness and provide training on TFA.
Some common methods of TFA are monitoring someone’s email, online banking and social media, or tracking them with GPS devices.
“Through the project, we’re building on-the-ground knowledge of current TFA tactics, allowing us to identify emerging trends and associated intervention approaches from cybersecurity and public health perspectives,” Morgan PettyJohn, assistant professor of social work and clinic director of Mavericks Ending Technology Facilitated Abuse (MAVS ETA), said in a statement. “Social workers are able to spot and respond to victimization within the field, and computer scientists are able to offer technical support and build safer technology from the ground up.”
Rachel Voth Schrag, associate professor in the School of Social Work at UTA and MAVS ETA project director, said that researchers looked at the needs of survivors, and what staff needed to know as they focused on coercion and control in the within the framework of technology and cybersecurity.
MAVS ETA project donated GPS scanners to SafeHaven of Tarrant County to help detect hidden tracking devices and other surveillance tools.
“When someone is trying to escape abuse, every step toward safety matters,” said Kathryn Jacob, CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County, in a statement. “These scanners help us uncover the invisible threats that survivors face daily. Being able to offer this kind of protection isn’t just about technology; it’s about restoring control, dignity and peace of mind for survivors and their children.”
Colleges students who reported psychological, physical or sexual abuse from a partner also experienced TFA, PettyJohn said.
“In terms of best numbers that we have, data suggests that around 70 percent of young adults, meaning 18-year-olds, college students through age 35 report experiencing tech facilitated abuse at some point in their lifetime,” PettyJohn said.
Shirin Nilizadeh, associate professor of computer engineering, and Nowshin Tabassum, a Ph.D. computer engineering student, look at the cybersecurity aspect of abuse and help combat the different issues that the shelter and social workers have identified as personal security issues.
Nilizadeh said the partnership with the social work department allowed them to quickly connect with victims and provide them with information and support.
When survivors or victims enter the shelter, many of them are on the same cell phone plan as the abuser, said Latesha Van, executive vice president of victim services at SafeHaven of Tarrant County.
“Oftentimes they may try to control the victim by shutting off the power or sending excessive text messages, sending threatening messages,” Van said.
She said that the abuse also includes children’s devices being used for location tracking.
“We’ve even seen them go through tablets and things with their children to try to locate where the family is.,” Van said. “We do see clients come in with tracking devices on their vehicles. Maybe the abuser’s name is also tied to the vehicle, so they find a way to be able to locate the vehicle. And so oftentimes they’re getting the vehicle towed or things of that nature.”
Van said the partnership has offered educational opportunities for staff and clients because a lot of people don’t think that the excessive calls, texts and tracking is a form of abuse, Van said.
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