Call for Abstracts

Important Dates

Workshop abstract submission: 17 March, 2026
Workshop abstract notification: 31 March, 2026
Workshop abstract camera-ready: 14 April, 2026
Workshop date: 26 May, 2026

All submission deadlines are end-of-day in the Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone.

Overview

The issue of online violence against women and girls has reached critical levels globally, affecting safety, mental health, and social participation in digital spaces. Women continue to face significant risks in digital spaces, ranging from hateful content to the misuse of emerging technologies such as Generative AI. This creates an urgent need to anticipate and mitigate future risks before harms become entrenched.

The second edition of the Towards a Safer Web for Women (TSWW’26) workshop, co-located with The Web Science Conference 2026, aims to bring together an interdisciplinary community of researchers and practitioners to examine emerging threats to women’s online safety and explore proactive, forward-looking mitigation strategies.

Building on this, the workshop will provide a space to reflect on recent progress in addressing online violence against women, identify emerging challenges linked to new and evolving technologies, and discuss proactive, interdisciplinary approaches to anticipate, prevent, and mitigate future harms. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Forecasting and modelling emerging risks for women in future digital ecosystems (e.g., AI agents, autonomous platforms, immersive worlds)
Anticipating harms posed by generative AI towards women, including automated harassment, AI impersonation, and large-scale manipulation
Safety-by-design strategies for upcoming technologies (e.g., LLMs, VR/AR environments, agentic AI systems)
Interdisciplinary methodologies for horizon scanning and technology foresight related to gender-based online harm
Detection and prevention of gender-based online violence (e.g., harassment, stalking, cyberbullying)
Sentiment and emotion analysis in abusive or harmful online interactions towards women
Cross-cultural perspectives on online safety and gender-based violence
Gender bias identification and mitigation in AI
Multilingual and multicultural approaches to identifying and addressing online harm towards women
Human-centered approaches for online safety applications
Studies on the psychological impact of online harms
Intersectional approaches to understanding and mitigating online harms faced by women with multiple marginalised identities (e.g., misogynoir, LGBTQ+ women, or women from religious, class or cultural minorities)
Analysis of tracking devices, surveillance tools, and hidden cameras misused against women
Principles and case studies for integrating safety by design in social platforms and online services
Detection and mitigation of non-consensual deepfake generation and dissemination
Legal and ethical frameworks for protecting women online
Psychological, social, and legal impacts of technology when used for gender-based abuse

Abstract Submission Instructions

We welcome both new and recent research, including non-archival submissions to showcase work published elsewhere, if it is relevant to the workshop's theme. Position, idea, or emerging problem abstracts are also welcomed. Accepted formats include:

Abstract: Up to 500 words
Extended Abstract: Up to 2 pages (including references)

If you would like your contribution to be included in the workshop proceedings, please submit an extended abstract. All submissions (both abstracts and extended abstracts) will be reviewed and considered for presentation on an equal basis, regardless of format.

Please submit your contributions electronically via the Google Form submission system at: https://forms.gle/tYheEgSwGecf2DyB6

Format and Styling

Submissions should be single-blind due to limited publication time. Submissions must be in English, in double-column format, and must adhere to the ACM template and format (also available in Overleaf). Word users may use the Word Interim Template, and the recommended setting for LaTeX is:

        \documentclass[sigconf, review]{acmart}

Extended abstract submissions must be in PDF format and adhere to the guidelines provided. For further details on style and formatting, please refer to the official guidelines provided by The Web Science Conference.

Contact Information

For any inquiries, please contact the organising committee at angel.pavon-perez@open.ac.uk.