Seen and Safe: Confronting Tech-facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Canada

Who We Are

The Seen and Safe project is a direct, urgent response to the escalating crisis of tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) in Canada. By centering the lived experiences of survivors and youth, this initiative seeks to dismantle the harms fueled by AI-generated abuse, sexual extortion, and gendered disinformation.

Digital spaces are increasingly hostile, yet existing legal and institutional responses remain inadequate.

  • 1 in 5 Canadian women experience online harassment.

  • Harms are disproportionately concentrated among Indigenous, racialized, trans, newcomer, disabled, and rural youth.

  • Targeted violence silences these communities, excluding them from digital civic life and deepening systemic inequities.

What We Are Doing

We are combining trauma-informed research with citizen-led action to create a safer digital future through four core activities:

Trauma-Informed Research: Conducting regional "Listening Circles" in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Ottawa, Montreal and virtually. We use arts-based methods like beading and visual storytelling to document experiences of tech-facilitated abuse and disinformation.

Digital Dignity Toolkit: Co-creating an evidence-informed toolkit and online learning module (LMS). These resources provide actionable tools for prevention, legal navigation, and digital rights for youth, parents, and educators.

National Storytelling Campaign: Launching a youth-led media campaign across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In collaboration with Canadian influencers, we amplify survivor voices to "prebunk" disinformation and model digital literacy.

Systemic Advocacy: Synthesizing findings into a bilingual report for federal stakeholders (such as Canadian Heritage and Justice Canada) to drive policy reform and platform accountability.

Project Timeline

  • Phase 1: Mobilization & Research (March – Sept 2026) – Establishing frameworks and conducting regional listening circles.

  • Phase 2: Design & Content (August – Dec 2026) – Drafting the Digital Dignity Toolkit and launching the first phase of the multimedia campaign.

  • Phase 3: Launch & Influence (January – March 2027) – Releasing the LMS module, hosting federal roundtables, and submitting the final policy report.

We acknowledge support from the Digital Citizenship Contribution Program (DCCP), Canadian Heritage.