Violence Against Women

Manavy Chim, Executive Director of Open Institute in Cambodia and APC WNSP partner in a 12-country project using ICTs to end violence against women (VAW) is interviewed by Sopheap Chak on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Open Institute’s women web portal is the first-ever of its kind in Khmer, and has made information on women’s rights and the reality of VAW available to more than 2000 visitors daily. Says Manavy:“It is imperative that women are able to draw on available resources to combat VAW. Access to ICT can be seen as central issue concerning empowerment of women.”

Maria Suárez hace referencia al “punto J” en un artículo donde analiza por qué la Sección J no fue un tema prioritario durante el encuentro de Beijing +10 en 2005. Cinco años después, ¿podemos decir que ahora si hay apoyo para los medios y las TIC de las mujeres? ¿Hay que “elegir” entre la batalla para terminar con la violencia contra las mujeres o erradicar la pobreza y la lucha por nuestro derecho a la libertad de expresión, el acceso a la información y el poder contar nuestras propias historias?

PolíTICas, el boletín temático de GenderIT.org, continúa su analisis sobre la legislación y las políticas de TIC en relación a la violencia contra las mujeres (VCM) con 2 interesantes artículos que entrecruzan informes de 8 países, 4 de la región latinoamericana y el resto de Asia que documentan “la escasa comprensión que hay en ambas regiones sobre las conexiones entre la violencia de género y las TIC”, como destaca Jan Moolman, invitada de GenderIT.org en esta edición para redactar el editorial. Es en este marco que les pedimos prestar atención a la convocatoria de GenderIT.org para ayudarnos a unir los puntos entre Derechos . Violencia . Tecnología.También en esta edición, Vera Vieira y Jacira Melo nos traen bajo la forma de un interesante artículo lo cosechado por las mujeres brasileras en la I Conferencia Nacional de Comunicación (Confecom).

Maria Suárez refers to the “‘J’ spot” in an article exploring why Section J was not a priority issue during the 2005 Beijing +10 review. Five years later, can we claim that women’s media and ICTs are now supported? Do we still feel forced into ‘choosing’ between the struggle to end violence against women or eradicate poverty and the struggle for our rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and to tell our own stories? GenderIT.org guest editor Jan Moolman talks about looking for the “J spot” at the upcoming Beijing + 15 review during the 54th session of the Commission of the Status of Women.

GenderIT.org takes a cross-country look at violence against women (VAW) and ICT laws and policy in Asia and Latin America, based on country reports highlighted in GenderIT’s previous VAW and ICT edition. They show the connections between women’s rights, violence against women, and ICTs. Guest editor Jan Moolman questions if women’s “J Spot” will be present at the upcoming Beijing Platform for Action 15 year review. Kathleen Diga tracks expressions of gender and power relations between women and men in the African Copyright and Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) project research findings.

Del 25 de noviembre al 10 de diciembre el mensaje apareció fuerte y claro – sea en una transmisión de audio en Malasia, canales de chat (Internet Relay Chat) en Brasil, una marcha de protesta en Second Life, canciones en Pakistán, agendas en Argentina, tweets en México, afiches en cibercafés en Congo o un mural en las calles de Soweto, Sudáfrica.

From 25 November to 10 December, the message came across loud and clear – whether it was via audiocast in Malaysia, chat relay in Brazil, protest march in Second Life, song-writing in Pakistan, calendars in Argentina, tweets in Mexico, posters in cybercafes in the Congo, or a mural on the streets of Soweto in South Africa. In over a dozen languages and through all platforms and medium both online and off, people took control of technology to end violence against women during the Take Back the Tech! campaign.

Women’sNet, with partner, Artists Say No to Violence Against Women and Children, held an event in Soweto, Johannesburg. They used the occasion of International Human Rights Day, which marks the last day of the 16 Days of Activism to draw attention to the role that new media has to play both as a tool for abuse and as a tool for protest.

Pakistani activists, led by Bytes for All and the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITES (P@SHA), are taking over the internet cloud and radio airwaves during the 16 days of activism to end violence against women (VAW) in the Pakistan Take Back the Tech! campaign.

Jehan Ara, P@SHA president, is leading “tweeples” in constant tweeting and blogging until violence against women is better addressed in her country.

Women’sNet has just completed painting a mural in Soweto, Chris Hani Bargwanath Hospital wall. The aim of this activity is to launch a global campaign, Take Back the Tech The campaign which calls on all ICT users – especially women and girls – to take control of technology and strategically use any ICT platform at hand (mobile phones, instant messengers, blogs, websites, digital cameras, email, podcasts and more) for activism against gender-based violence.