“The power of people communicating in solidarity and joint action is a power that even the most over-confident rulers and regimes cannot overcome, not in the long term”, said APC’s executive director Anriette Estherhuysen. “What is happening in Egypt and Tunisia is a demonstration of people’s outrage and courage in the face of long term repression – now played out on and supported by the internet and mobile technologies.” The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) joins the global solidarity with the Egyptian people as they take to the streets in the struggle for democratic reform and human rights.


(The featured articles and resources have been selected from the GenderIT.org Archive.)

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Internet?

"Clearly, one cannot speak of sexual rights activism in Lebanon without speaking at length about internet usage, as both are tied together at levels from personal identity and relationships to political activism and mobilization," claims Nadine Moawad, the APC's EroTICs project partner. In this article, she assesses the role of the internet in the rise of sexual rights activism in Lebanon, and explores connections between internet regulations and attitudes towards sexuality.

New technologies and women in Arab countries: a forest of concepts, a complex reality

Natalia Fernández-Diaz identifies the difficulties of understanding feminist concerns regarding the needs and potential benefits of emerging technologies in what is usually known as ‘Arab countries’. Locating the relationship between women and ICTs in women’s movements, Fernández-Diaz interrogates the concepts of technologists, producers, users, victims and indirect beneficiaries in this complex political, geographical and imaginary terrain.

The Tyranny of Binaries: Child Protection, Sexuality and Safety Online.

Is it just me or does the schedule for the Internet Governance Forum conference in Sharm El Sheikh seem
to pop with the words youth, security, protection, empowerment, child? At least
two sessions every day focus on these themes. I attended a session today titled The Global Path for
Ensuring Online Child Protection and Safety: Effective Strategies and Specific
Action. This session seemed like it could throw up some interesting discussions
since it had a balance of civil society groups, NGOs, the technology industry
and child rights and family values advocates.