Online
October 2025
The Work With Perpetrators – European Network (WWP EN) successfully held its Annual Conference 2025 online on 1–2 October, under the theme “Digital power, real harm: Addressing gender-based violence in the tech era.” The conference brought together 185 experts, practitioners, and advocates from 29 countries to explore how technology both enables and can help combat gender-based violence.
The event was moderated by Cordelia Moore and supported by the European Union and the OAK Foundation. The conference offered two days of insightful discussions, research presentations, and interactive sessions that shed light on the complex realities of digital abuse and strategies for prevention and intervention.
Program
The programme featured four keynote speeches: Dr. Silvia Semenzin, a digital sociologist at AI Forensics, opened with a powerful exploration of how platforms enable online harm in “Mapping tech-facilitated gender-based violence in the digital age.” Professor Nicole Westmarland of Durham University’s CRiVA followed with “The move online? The advantages and disadvantages of using online spaces for behaviour change work,” offering a critical reflection on digital perpetrator interventions. Dr. Haim Weinberg, a clinical psychologist and group therapy expert, examined “Online groups – obstacles, challenges, and opportunities,” highlighting how virtual practice reshapes the dynamics of therapy and connection. Professor Debbie Ging of Dublin City University concluded with “Postdigital ‘Toxic Technocultures’: Ecosystems of Online Abuse and ‘Real-World’ SGBV,” linking online misogyny and anti-feminist movements to real-world violence and the radicalisation of youth.
The conference also featured a presentation by Nikolaos Koukopoulos (UCL) on “Unpacking the complexities of tech abuse,” which examined how perpetrators misuse technology and how research can better understand these dynamics.
Two Interactive plenary workshops took place. Elena Gajotto (WWP EN) led “Digital violence in practice,” a hands-on session equipping practitioners with tools to address tech-facilitated abuse. At the same time, Unizon and MÄN delivered a compelling session on “Prevention of VAWG through addressing pornography,” exploring the links between sexualised media and violence against women and girls.
A highlight of the event was the panel discussion, “Shaping healthy narratives: moving beyond the manosphere,” featuring Pete Harris (UK), Mica Macho (Italy), and the Center for Digital Youth Care (Denmark). The panel explored ways to engage boys and young men in online spaces constructively and foster resilience against harmful ideologies.
The second day concluded with five parallel workshops, each covering critical aspects of intervention and prevention: from supporting orphans of domestic violence and delivering residential perpetrator programmes, to online intervention strategies, the use of gaming simulations for police training, and technology-facilitated blended delivery models addressing substance use and intimate partner violence.
Acknowledgements
WWP EN remains a leading European network working to end violence against women and children by engaging with those who perpetrate it. The organisation supports member programmes across more than 30 countries, promotes accountability and behavioural change, and strengthens multi-agency cooperation to prevent and stop gender-based violence in all its forms.
Through its Issues Affecting Women Programme, the OAK Foundation supports efforts to end violence against women and girls, strengthen prevention strategies, and promote systemic change by backing organisations like WWP EN that work directly with perpetrators to stop abuse before it starts.
Throughout the event, participants benefited from seamless digital coordination provided by EasyConferences.