In November 2022, the Australian Institute of Criminology published a report looking at 10,000 Australians aged 18 to 54 who use dating apps. The study looked at technology-facilitated sexual violence. This violence ranges from unwanted sexually explicit photos to abuse and threats. The results revealed that 72.3% of respondents had experienced sexual violence, harassment or assault online.
Annick Grandry finds similar testimonies among her patients: “Come exchanges, digital or real, can be very violent. My patients tell me that they are confronted with discussions that begin directly with comments of a sexual nature or with aggressiveness if we do not respond quickly enough.“
A violence that Christelle encountered: “On a first date, the man I meet tells me that he is doing work on his house and that he is planning a child’s room. I tell him then that I do not want children. He then flew into a rage and his words were very violent.“
“I told a man that I didn’t want to go any further than that first date“, explains Virginia, “but he insisted, found me on Facebook and harassed me for a long time. I remember even having a discussion with someone who seemed interesting to me and who, all of a sudden, told me that he was going to receive a large inheritance and that he needed me, my money to unblock him…I obviously reported him to the police“.
“There is also the violence of the phenomenon of ghosting “, adds Annick Grandry. This phenomenon was described in particular by the journalist Agathe Renac during an investigation carried out in 2019. The journalist explains that the “Ghosting is the act of ending a relationship overnight without explanation. No more replies, no more messages, no more calls. A total and abrupt disconnection.” Annick Grandry notes, here too, real consequences for her patients: “Sn apps, you feel like you owe nothing to anyone, so you can disappear as you appeared in someone’s life, without any explanation. To be denied in one’s existence in this way is of a rare violence and leaves marks. “
