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Professor Olga Jurasz

Professional biography

Olga Jurasz is professor of law at the Open University Law School, specialising in international law, human rights, and legal responses to violence against women (including online violence). She holds a PhD in International Law from Aberystwyth University. Professor Jurasz is Adjunct Professor at the FernUniversität Hagen (Germany), Visiting Professor in Women's & Children's Rights at the European University Viadrina (Germany), and a Research Fellow at the Lawyers for Justice in Libya

Olga is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

Research interests

Online violence against women, social media and law

Olga's research focuses on the exploration of legal and policy responses to online violence against women (OVAW), gender-based social media abuse, online violence against women in politics (OVAWP) and online misogyny. Olga is working on several projects which related to this area and contributed to a number of consultations concerning hate crime reform and legal responses to violence against women (both online and offline), including submissions to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the One Scotland Consultation on Amending Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland and Women & Equalities Committee. Professor Jurasz's research explores a number of aspects of online, text-based abuse, including consideration of online misogyny as a hate crime as well as legal regulation of online abuse. Olga's book Online misogyny as a hate crime: a challenge for (legal) regulation? (with K Barker) which addresses these themes was published by Routledge in 2019. 

Olga has published in the above research areas and presented her research at many conferences, both in the UK and internationally. Her research has been funded by the British Academy, Economic & Social Research Council, Engineering and Social Sciences Research Council and British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA). She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Gender Studies.

 

International law, violence against women, and post-conflict situations

Olga’s research interests lie in the area of international law, human rights & post-conflict situations. She is particularly interested in how various mechanisms of public international law address the long-term impact of armed conflict on women and how women’s rights are protected in the aftermath of war, during the process of transition from war to peace. In 2018-19, Olga worked on the British Academy funded project 'Making international law work for women post-conflict: new voices' which explored some of these themes. 

 

Olga is happy to discuss and supervise PhD research project in her research areas, in particular:

  • Gender and Law
  • Women's rights in transitonal contexts
  • International law and post-coflict situations 
  • Online violence against women 
  • Online misogyny
  • Prosecution of gender-based crimes by the international courts 
  • Women, peace and security

Teaching interests

  • Public International Law
  • International Criminal Law
  • International Humanitarian Law
  • Human Rights
  • Law & Society
  • Law & Gender
  • Law & Social Media

Impact and engagement

Dr Jurasz contributed to a number of consultations in her areas of research, including submissions to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the One Scotland Consultation on Amending Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland, the Australian Government's Online Safety Charter Consultation, and Women & Equalities Committee. Olga's research was quoted in the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee Report on Sexual Harassment of Women and Girls in Public Spaces and also endorsed by members of the Welsh Assembly. In March 2019, Olga was invited by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to speak at the UN Commission on the Status of Women event in New York, where she shared findings of her research on online violence against women, discussing effective protection from online violence against women in politics. Olga was also invited to speak at the Internet Freedom Festival in Valencia in April 2019 where she discussed online violence against women and gaps in its legal regulation. 

Olga's research was also cited by Leanne Wood AM in the Welsh Assembly (First Minister's questions, Online Abuse of Women in Public Life (27 March 2019)).

Publications

Digital and online violence: international perspectives (2024)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
International Review of Law, Computers & Technology ((Early access))


Online Misogyny as a Hate Crime: An Obstacle to Equality? (2021-12)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
GenIUS: Rivista di studi giuridici sull’orientamento sessuale e l’identità di genere, 2021(1) (pp. 51-66)


Sexual Violence in the Digital Age: A Criminal Law Conundrum? (2021-08)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
German Law Journal, 22(5) (pp. 784-799)


Misogynistic Harassment: a stumbling block for Scots hate crime reform? (2021-03-29)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Juridical Review, 2021(1) (pp. 1-17)


Online violence against women as an obstacle to gender equality: a critical view from Europe (2020)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
European Equality Law Review, 2020(1) (pp. 47-60)


Sexual and gender-based violence: the case for transformative justice in Cambodia (2019)
Szablewska, Natalia and Jurasz, Olga
Global Change, Peace & Security, 31(3) (pp. 263-282)


Online Misogyny: A Challenge for Digital Feminism? (2019)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
Journal of International Affairs, 72(2) (pp. 95-114)


Towards an Intersectional Understanding of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Gender, Sexuality, and Ethnicity at the ICTY (2018-09-28)
Isaac, Maike and Jurasz, Olga
International Criminal Law Review, 18(5) (pp. 853-882)


About justice that is yet to come: a few remarks about the international pursuit of post-conflict gender justice (2015)
Jurasz, Olga
Journal of Gender Studies, 24(1) (pp. 56-69)


The Istanbul Convention: a new chapter in preventing and combating violence against women (2015)
Jurasz, Olga
Australian Law Journal, 89(9) (pp. 619-627)


Violence Against Women, Hate and Law: Perspectives from Contemporary Scotland (2022-07)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Palgrave Hate Studies
ISBN : 978-3-030-99374-0 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Cham


Online Misogyny as Hate Crime: A Challenge for Legal Regulation? (2018-12-17)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
ISBN : 9781138590373 | Publisher : Routledge


Online Text-Based (Sexual) Abuse (2023-06-02)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
In: Ali, Parveen and Rogers, Michaela eds. Gender-Based Violence: A Comprehensive Guide (pp. 541-554)
ISBN : 978-3-031-05639-0 | Publisher : Springer


Women, Violence and Protest in Times of COVID-19 (2023-01)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
In: Stychin, Carl F. ed. Law, Humanities and the Covid Crisis. Reimagining Law and Justice (pp. 183-205)
ISBN : 9781911507291 | Publisher : University of London Press | Published : London


The ‘Politics’ of Responsible Social Media Use in Universities: Cautionary Tales for Student Experience? (2023)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
In: Siliquini-Cinelli, Luca and Giddens, Thomas eds. Biopolitics and Structure in Legal Education (pp. 223-238)
ISBN : 9781003175193 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, Oxon


Online misogyny as a hate crime: #TimesUp (2022)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
In: Zempi, Irene and Smith, Jo eds. Misogyny as Hate Crime
ISBN : 9780367903176; 9781003023722 | Publisher : Routledge


Gender-Based Abuse Online: An Assessment of Law, Policy and Reform in England and Wales (2021-11-29)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
In: Powell, Anastasia; Flynn, Asher and Sugiura, Lisa eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Gendered Violence and Technology (pp. 529-544)
ISBN : 978-3-030-83733-4 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan


Text-Based (Sexual) Abuse and Online Violence Against Women: Toward Law Reform (2021-06-04)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
In: Bailey, Jane; Flynn, Asher and Henry, Nicola eds. The Emerald International Handbook of Technology Facilitated Violence and Abuse. Emerald Studies In Digital Crime, Technology and Social Harms (pp. 247-264)
ISBN : 978-1-83982-849-2 | Publisher : Emerald Publishing Limited | Published : Bingley


Towards transformative gender equality: the importance of addressing economic violence against women in Cambodia. (2019-10-29)
Jurasz, Olga and Szablewska, Natalia
In: Gámez Fuentes, María José; Núñez Puente, Sonia and Gómez Nicolau, Emma eds. Re-writing Women as Victims: From Theory to Practice. Interdisciplinary Research in Gender (pp. 68-82)
ISBN : 9781138487154 | Publisher : Routledge


AFRC Trial Judgement (Prosecutor v. Brima, Kamara, Kanu), Special Court for Sierra Leone (2019-09-05)
Jurasz, Olga; Labenski, Sheri; Mouthaan, Solange and Sedman, Dawn
In: Hodson, Loveday and Lavers, Troy eds. Feminist Judgments in International Law (pp. 373-406)
ISBN : 9781509914456 | Publisher : Hart Publishing


Reparations for Gendered Harm at the International Criminal Court: Towards Transformative and Gender-Just Reparations? (2019-02-28)
Jurasz, Olga
In: Jurasz, Olga and Mouthaan, Solange eds. Gender and War: International and Transitional Justice Perspectives (pp. 235-258)
ISBN : 9781780686868 | Publisher : Intersentia | Published : Cambridge


Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 (2018-11)
Jurasz, Olga
In: Rackley, Erika and Auchmuty, Rosemary eds. Women's Legal Landmarks: Celebrating the history of women and law in the UK and Ireland
ISBN : 9781782259794 | Publisher : Hart


Gender, human rights and cybercrime: are virtual worlds really that different? (2014-06-01)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
In: Asimow, Michael; Brown, Kathryn and Papke, David Ray eds. Law and Popular Culture: International Perspectives (pp. 79-100)
ISBN : 978-1-4438-5810-6 | Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing | Published : Newcastle upon Tyne


Women of the Revolution- the future of women's rights in post-Gaddafi Libya (2013-02)
Jurasz, Olga
In: Panara, Carlo and Wilson, Gary eds. The Arab Spring: New Patterns for Democracy and International Law. Nijhoff Law Specials (ISSN: 0924-4549) (82) (pp. 123-144)
ISBN : 9789004230415 | Publisher : Martinus Nijhoff | Published : Leiden


Gender and War: International and Transitional Justice Perspectives (2019-01)
Jurasz, Olga and Mouthaan, Solange eds.
ISBN : 9781780686868 | Publisher : Intersentia


Building transformative peace & justice in Cambodia: intersections between international law, SDGs and gender equality (2019)
Jurasz, Olga and Szablewska, Natalia
In : The Arctic University of Norway Conference 'Critical Inter-disciplinary Conference on Studying Peace from Below' (5-6 Sep 2019, Tromso, Norway)


Gender-based crimes at the ICC- where is the future? (2014)
Jurasz, Olga
In : 108th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (7-12 Apr 2014, Washington DC) (pp. 429-432)


Online violence against women: A Four Nations study (2024-03)
Jurasz, Olga
The Open University


Towards a research agenda: tackling violence against women and girls online. REPHRAIN White Paper (2023-04)
Michalec, Ola; Barker, Kim; Coopamootoo, Kovila; Coventry, Lynne; Duppresoir, Francois; Edwards, Matthew; Johnson, Shane; Johnstone, Emily; Jurasz, Olga; Mehrnezhad, Maryam; Moncur, Wendy; Ridout, Frances; Stevens, Francesca; Strothmayer, Angelika and Tanczer, Leonie
REPHRAIN


What the Istanbul Convention Means for Women and Girls in Wales (2022-11-25)
Jurasz, Olga
Institute of Welsh Affairs


Tackle online violence against women now: a call to the internet giants (2021-12-22)
Jurasz, Olga
openDemocracy


Reform of Hate Crime Laws - Consultation Response to the Law Commission (2020-12)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
The Open University


Reform of the Communications Offences - Consultation Response to the Law Commission (2020-12)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
The Open University


Scottish Parliament Justice Committee Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill Call for Views – Response (2020-06)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Olga Jurasz & Kim Barker


Submission of Evidence on COVID-19 and the increase of domestic violence against women to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences, Dr Dubravka Šimonović (2020-06)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
UN


Hate Crime Legislation in Northern Ireland – An Independent Review: Consultation Response (2020-03)
Jurasz, Olga and Barker, Kim
Self published


Northern Ireland Independent Review of Hate Crime Consultation Response (2020) (2020-03)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Committee on the Administration of Justice


Response to the Online Safety Reform Legislation Consultation (2020)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Stirling Law School & The Open University Law School


Online Harms White Paper Consultation Response (2019-06)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Striling Law School & The Open University Law School


Written Submission of Evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry on Democracy, free speech and freedom of association. (2019-05-15)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
UK Parliament


Submission of Evidence to Online Safety Charter Consultation Paper (2019-03)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Australian Government


Expert Response to One Scotland Consultation on Amending Scottish Hate Crime Legislation (2019)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Scottish Parliament


Written Submission of Evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces (2018-03-05)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Stirling Law School & Open University Law School


Online Violence Against Women: The Limits & Possibilities of Law (2018-01)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Stirling Law School & Open University Law School


Submission of Evidence on Online Violence Against Women to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Dr Dubravka Šimonović (2017-11)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
United Nations


Submission of Evidence to Scottish Government Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation (Bracadale Review) (2017-11)
Barker, Kim and Jurasz, Olga
Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland