PROJECT RESULTS

The PRIN 2022 PNRR project "Social Representations of Cyber-Violence Against Women and Girls: Advancing Knowledge on an Under-Conceptualized Issue", funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 "Education and Research", Component 2, investigated the social representations of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (Cyber-VAWG) in Italy. The project brought together a research consortium led by the University of Bologna, in collaboration with CNR-IRPPS and the University of Salento.

Objectives

The project aimed to examine Cyber-VAWG across four interconnected domains: young people's representations, news media, youth-oriented media, and national and European public policies and prevention initiatives. Its primary objective was to address a significant knowledge gap surrounding a phenomenon that remains insufficiently conceptualized, while strengthening a gender-sensitive understanding of online violence and its relationship with broader gender inequalities.

Results

The project combined four complementary research strands, all of which were successfully completed. A total of 18 focus groups involving 105 participants aged 13–22 were conducted in Bologna, Padua, and Lecce, revealing widespread normalization of digital gender-based violence and limited socio-technical awareness among young people. The project also analysed media coverage of Cyber-VAWG in the Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Il Fatto Quotidiano (2016–2022; 1,109 articles), highlighting a predominantly episodic and event-driven narrative with limited structural interpretation of the phenomenon.

A further research strand investigated representations of Cyber-VAWG in youth-oriented media through the analysis of social media content (over 70,000 Instagram posts collected from eight popular profiles) and three television series (Nudes, AlRawabi School for Girls, and Adolescence). Finally, a comparative analysis of public policies in Italy, France, and Spain, complemented by the study of 16 awareness campaigns and 18 interviews with practitioners, activists, and professionals working in the field, reconstructed current policy approaches, good practices, and critical challenges in the prevention of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

The project produced a collective monograph, Cyberviolenza e genere. Media, politica e narrazioni giovanili (Carocci, 2026; Green Open Access from 2027), a special issue of the journal Sociologia della Comunicazione (No. 70/2025) devoted to the topic, and five additional peer-reviewed journal articles. Research findings were presented at numerous national and international scientific events, including 17 conference presentations and four invited talks, as well as eight dedicated seminars and a final international conference.

The project also generated substantial societal impact through an extensive programme of public engagement activities. More than 20 outreach initiatives were organised in collaboration with schools, local authorities, civil society organisations, and prevention services. Additional dissemination activities included participation in two podcasts, the development of a bilingual project website featuring a thematic glossary, and the production of a graphic novel (to be published in 2026) for adolescent audiences in collaboration with the CNR's Comics&Science series. Among its most significant institutional achievements, the Principal Investigator was invited to present the project's findings before the Italian Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Femicide and All Forms of Gender-Based Violence, as part of its investigation into online gender-based violence.

The project also generated new research agendas and competitive funding proposals submitted under CERV, ERC, and Horizon Europe programmes, contributing to the consolidation of national and international research networks on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In line with the principles of the PRIN call, the project actively involved early-career researchers and promoted gender equality, generational inclusion, and equal opportunities throughout its implementation.