About the researchers
Dr Delanie Woodlock
Delanie is a feminist researcher with a focus on understanding and preventing men's violence against women and children. Her work particularly examines the critical role of technology in domestic violence and child sexual abuse. She aims to produce socially impactful knowledge that enhances the safety and well-being of women and children.
Delanie has conducted pioneering research into the role of technology in domestic and family violence. Starting with a small community grant in 2012 when working at the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria (DVRCV), she conducted a world-first study on technology-facilitated abuse and domestic violence. Delanie's research has guided and informed government policymaking and strategic directions in Australia. Including the 2016 Victorian Royal Commission to Family Violence Final Report and Recommendations, shaping findings and recommendations made on technology-facilitated abuse. Her research is cited as key literature in the National Domestic and Family Violence Bench Book and The Judicial College of Victoria Family Violence Bench Book.
Delanie has worked in the area of domestic violence and sexual assault since 2007, providing direct support and referral to victim/survivors, as well as conducting community research. Alongside her research on the use of technology in domestic violence, she has also focused on violence against women with disabilities (including her work with Associate Professor Bridget Harris on an eSafety-funded project on technology-facilitated abuse of women with cognitive and intellectual disabilities and research with Women with Disabilities Victoria), the medicalisation of women’s trauma, and violence against women in rural and regional Australia (including an Australian Institute of Criminology funded project with Associate Professor Bridget Harris on technology-facilitated abuse of women in rural and regional Australia).
Delanie continues to expand the field of technology-facilitated abuse through her recent research on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as a specific form of gendered violence, including her work evaluating PartnerSPEAK and an Australian Institute of Criminology funded project with Professor Michael Salter on the crossover between CSAM offending and coercive control. Her research work has broadened the understandings of theoretical concepts in violence against women, such as coercive control, linking the use of technology to tactics used by perpetrators to entrap women and children.
Delanie has also provided support and training to academics and students on minimising the risks of vicarious trauma, particularly concerning the impacts of researching domestic and sexual violence. Delanie is a qualified social worker practitioner who completed her Master of Social Work.