Tell us about yourself

I am a Research Fellow in Law and a co-lead of the Law and Policy stream at the Centre for Protecting Women Online, Open University. I am also a former holder of a Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre Translational Fellowship. My research expertise covers technology-facilitated sexual violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence and intersectional experiences. Through my Fellowship, I explored racially minoritised women’s experiences of technology-facilitated sexual violence and reporting to the police.

Previously, I was a researcher at the Police Foundation and prior completed my PhD at Durham University, titled, ‘Understanding Youth Image-Based Sexual Abuse: The Role of Context and Police Discretion. I have contributed to broader research projects in the field of violence and abuse, including Project Bright Light, and a British Academy funded investigation into sexual violence at music festivals. I have publications in the Journal of Gender-Based Violence, Violence Against Women, and Policing & Society.

Why did you want to become a Research Affiliate?

As a holder of a Translational Fellowship, I am grateful to the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre for the opportunity to pursue vital research on intersectional experiences, technology-facilitated sexual violence, and reporting to the police. I was eager to continue developing this connection by becoming a Research Affiliate. My expertise closely aligns with Centre-funded projects, including ‘Reducing Barriers to Reporting Public Sexual harassment to the Police: Towards Procedural Justice for Racially Minoritised Vulnerable Young Women and Girls‘, and ‘Policing Collective Coercion: Improving Understandings of Coercive Control in Honour-Based Violence and Abuse‘. Additionally, I share research interests and established collaborations with Centre staff, including Dr Katy Sian, Professor Nicole Westmarland, and Andy Higgins. Being an Affiliate allows me to contribute to the Centre’s expanding agenda on racialised experiences, whilst fostering new, and strengthening current research partnerships.

How does your research connect to the Centre’s mission and values?

My current and future work addresses a considerable gap in the scholarship of technology-facilitated abuse and policing, those of racialised experiences. Through its focus and the methods adopted, my work is anti-racist to its core. Indeed, my current work broadly addresses equality, diversity and inclusion in the remit of this research field; these values are built into the project. Further to this, as an intersectional feminist researcher, I am mindful of developing projects which are inclusive and anti-discriminatory. My Fellowship and future research plans are intended to be innovative. This is clear with my aim to challenge current understandings of technology-facilitated abuse. Instead centring the experiences of those who typically find themselves in the margins of violence and abuse research. My work will be collaborative and open. During Fellowship, the research journey will be a shared experience for myself and participants. I will be collecting their feedback on the research findings and implications to ensure that they are not sidelined after contributing their experiences. I want to drive change for racialised communities and be solution-focused, better representing their experiences and addressing barriers faced when seeking support or justice.