Sonia Randhawa, genderIT.org writer and editor, compares the findings of four national reports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines undertaken by the APC WNSP as part of the project “Strengthening women’s strategic use of ICTs to combat violence against women and girls”.
Asia has been at the forefront of embracing new information and communications technologies (ICTs), and in using them to promote democracy and human rights. From using SMSes to coordinate public protests in the Philippines, to circumventing the firewalls of Burma and China, Asians have shown ingenuity in mobilising ICTs for innovative rights-based purposes. However, ICTs in the region have also been used to violate rights, through increased opportunities for censorship and surveillance; whether surveillance by the state, or by perpetrators of violence against women (VAW). This article looks at the intersection between ICTs and violence against women, an area often overlooked in the discourse on ICTs and human rights, which tends to focus primarily on issues of access and freedom of expression.
Asia has been at the forefront of embracing new information and communications technologies (ICTs), and in using them to promote democracy and human rights. From using SMSes to coordinate public protests in the Philippines, to circumventing the firewalls of Burma and China, Asians have shown ingenuity in mobilising ICTs for innovative rights-based purposes. However, ICTs in the region have also been used to violate rights, through increased opportunities for censorship and surveillance; whether surveillance by the state, or by perpetrators of violence against women (VAW). This article looks at the intersection between ICTs and violence against women, an area often overlooked in the discourse on ICTs and human rights, which tends to focus primarily on issues of access and freedom of expression.
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Year of publication
2010
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