Pakistani activists tweet and sing against violence against women
Manila, Philippines, Dec 6
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.
Tweeting in this case is no individual task. They are collaborating with “a small group of young and motivated bloggers who understand the importance of what you are advocating. Once they identify with it or can connect the issue with something that has happened to a friend or to someone who is near or dear to them, the activism becomes something that they take ownership for.”
Messages on violence against women in Pakistan have rained on Twitter, taking advantage of its multiplier effect to emit calls to end VAW, insisting upon better solutions to address it. This Twitter campaign aims to engage young people, who have become anti-VAW activists themselves during the 16 day Take Back the Tech! campaign running from 25 November to 10 December 2009.
Ideas for Take Back the Tech! song lyrics tweeted back and forth, just waiting to be set to music, reports Jehan. Her appearance on The Laid Back Show provoked comments that it was “the best show” so far. (Update: the “Take Back the Tech! song”|http://jehanara.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/rabia-sings-one-of-the-tbtt-songs is now available online for your listening pleasure.)
Jehan believes this Twitter campaign will not end with the celebration of International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the 16th day of action: “People tend to recognize your sincerity and your passion for the cause. It then becomes infectious and you find tweeples volunteering to help and find creative ways of doing it. In fact they then start to push you if you happen to slow down for some reason.”
Taking the advocacy further after 10 December will certainly stay on the Pakistani internet horizon. BytesForAll is part of a larger 12-country project to achieve Milenium Development Goal 3 on gender equality and women’s empowerment using information and communication technologies (ICT). In upcoming months, Take Back the Tech! advocacy will be accompanied by gender-aware analysis of ICT policy and Feminist Tech Exchanges to build capacity among women’s organisations in the strategic use of ICTs to fight VAW.
Besides tweeting and blogging, Bytes for All and P@SHA are also leading an intensive radio campaign with a radio programme aired on several days during the 16 day Take Back the Tech! campaign.
Young activists and partners of BytesforAll and P@SHA have mapped out daily topics to tweet, blog and speak about during the 16 days:
- Day 1: Blog, Twitter, and Facebook buzz regarding Take Back the Tech!
- Day 2: How to be safe on Facebook – a discussion on Facebook privacy issues as well as advice about features to protect one’s privacy.
- Day 3: How to be safe on Twitter – a discussion about the possible security threat that location updates and other status messages can pose and how to deal with stalkers.
- Day 4: Blog happily and safely – How to protect blog posts
- Day 5: Take Back the Tech! song launch
- Day 6: Safe instant messaging and public computer use
- Day 7: Be safe on transport and in public places
- Day 8: Cell phone safety and how to fight mobile phone harassment
- Day 9: You are not alone – share it! – women need to know they are not the only ones that experience harrassment. Talking about it brings awareness and solutions.
- Day 10: How to be safe in a work environment – whether you work in a factory, shop or office.
- Day 11: Justice is not blind! Does Pakistani law protect us? – what rights to protection do women have and how to exercise them.
- Day 12: Wiki Pakistani Sheroes
- Day 13: How did I survive? – survival stories of Pakistani women who experienced harassment
- Day 14: Is tech only for guys? Let’s prove it wrong! – Brilliant women from Pakistani tech industry
- Day 15: Help your friend! – Tips on how to help friends facing harrassment, including psychological expert advice.
- Day 16: It does not end here. Keep talking about it! – taking advocacy further to end violence against women
In addition, the team has produced several videos to create awareness and motivate others to raise their voices against ICT and VAW. Several of these videos have been localised in the Urdu language so as to have a wider impact.
BytesforAll and P@SHA also took part in a press conference on “Cybercrimes and VAW” that was organized by Aurat Foundation, a major women’s activist organisation in Pakistan in the capital city Islamabad. Eight television channels covered the conference in addition to the print media. A Take Back the Tech information sheet and TBTT stickers were distributed at the press briefing.
Links:
Jehan Ara’s blog: http://jehanara.wordpress.com
BytesForAll: http://bytesforall.net
P@SHA: http://www.pasha.org.pk
Take Back the Tech! Http://www.takebackthetech.org
Feminist Tech Exchange: http://ftx.apcwomen.org
APC WNSP: http://www.apcwomen.org
Tweeples: http://www.tweeples.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com
