Cybercrimes and the Risk of Women Being Targeted: A Criminological and Criminalistic Perspective

Öz

This study examines cybercrimes targeting women through an integrative approach situated at the intersection of criminology and criminalistics, aiming to uncover the often-invisible dynamics of gender-based victimization in the digital age. Designed as a descriptive literature review, the study focuses on forms of interpersonal cybercrime that disproportionately affect women. These offenses are analyzed through the lenses of Lifestyle/Routine Activities Theory, opportunity theories, and feminist victimology. From a criminalistic perspective, the study identifies key technical challenges encountered in digital crime scene investigations, particularly highlighting the fragility of the chain of custody and the widespread use of anonymization tools such as VPNs and Tor, which complicate offender identification. While these factors reduce the perceived risk of apprehension for perpetrators, victimblaming discourses and institutional mistrust simultaneously function as deterrents to reporting among women. As a result, both individual level access to justice and macro-level data collection on cybercrime are significantly undermined. The findings indicate that existing legal frameworks remain insufficient to address the specific characteristics of gender-based violence in cyberspace. In response, the study proposes adopting algorithmic accountability principles, enhancing technical capacities within law enforcement and judicial institutions, strengthening digital forensic infrastructures, and intersectional, data-driven policy mechanisms. Ultimately, this research provides a comprehensive and multilayered criminological and criminalistic assessment of cybercrimes against women, emphasizing that such forms of victimization must be understood not only at the individual level but also within their broader structural, technological, and cultural contexts.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Cybercrime
• Digital violence and women
• Criminology
• Criminalistics

Destekleyen Kurum

The author declares that this study received no financial support.

Teşekkür

The author declares no acknowledgment.

Siber Suçlar ve Kadınların Hedef Olma Riskleri: Kriminoloji ve Kriminalistik Açısından Değerlendirme

Öz

Bu çalışma, kadınları hedef alan siber suçları kriminoloji ve kriminalistik kesişiminde konumlanan bütüncül bir yaklaşımla ele almakta ve dijital çağda toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı mağduriyetin çoğu zaman görünmez kalan dinamiklerini ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Betimsel bir literatür incelemesi olarak tasarlanan araştırma, kadınları orantısız biçimde etkileyen kişilerarası siber suç türlerine odaklanmaktadır. Bu suçlar, yaşam tarzı/rutin aktiviteler teorisi, fırsat teorileri ve feminist viktimoloji çerçeveleri doğrultusunda değerlendirilmektedir. Kriminalistik açıdan çalışma, dijital suç mahalli incelemelerinde karşılaşılan temel teknik güçlükleri ortaya koymakta; özellikle delil zincirinin kırılganlığına ve VPN ile Tor gibi anonimleştirme araçlarının fail tespitini güçleştiren yaygın kullanımına dikkat çekmektedir. Bu unsurlar failler açısından yakalanma riskini düşürürken, mağdur suçlayıcı söylemler ve kurumsal güvensizlikle birleştiğinde kadınların bu tür suçları bildirmesini caydırıcı bir etki yaratmaktadır. Sonuç olarak hem bireysel düzeyde adalete erişim hem de makro ölçekte siber suçlara ilişkin güvenilir veri üretimi sekteye uğramaktadır. Bulgular, mevcut yasal çerçevelerin siber ortamda ortaya çıkan toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı şiddetin özgün niteliklerini ele almakta yetersiz kaldığını göstermektedir. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, algoritmik hesap verebilirlik ilkelerinin güçlendirilmesi, kolluk kuvvetleri ve yargı kurumlarının teknik kapasitelerinin artırılması, dijital adli bilişim altyapılarının geliştirilmesi ve kesişimsel, veriye dayalı politika mekanizmalarının oluşturulmasını önermektedir. Nihayetinde bu araştırma, kadınlara yönelik siber suçları hem kriminolojik hem de kriminalistik perspektiften çok katmanlı biçimde ele alarak, bu mağduriyetlerin yalnızca bireysel düzeyde değil, aynı zamanda yapısal, teknolojik ve kültürel bağlamları içinde değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Siber suçlar
• Dijital şiddet ve kadın
• Kriminoloji
• Kriminalistik.

Destekleyen Kurum

Yazar bu çalışma için finansal destek almadığını beyan etmiştir.

Teşekkür

Yazar teşekkür beyan etmemiştir.

Kaynakça

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