online GBV
"We cannot be what we cannot see": Mapping gaps in research in gender and information society
The articles in this bilingual edition point to how visibility of our bodies and our stories is the starting point of a different way of being. The stories we tell of struggles and perseverance, of movements and solidarity – entangled as they are in the fine wires of technology – are necessary and essential and could be the foundations for the movement for change. This edition is not...
In depth
[SPECIAL EDITION] Observing our Observers in the Age of Social Media
Kerieva Mccormick looks at how young Roma women and girls deal with, understand, and talk about violence and harassment faced by Roma people, online and offline. This article examines the double consciousness experienced by those who live with the reality of exclusion and discrimination even now in contemporary societies, and the ways in which younger generations navigate hostility and...
Publication
IGF Best practice forum on Gender and Access (2016): Overcoming barriers to enable women's meaningful internet access
The BPF is collaborating with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN University on Computing and Society (UNU-CS) in its important endeavour to research and map projects and initiatives that aim to address different gender digital divides around the world. The objective of this collaborative data-gathering process is to help stakeholders better understand women and girls’...
Publication
Technology-mediated Violence against Women in India: Discussion paper
The purpose of this issue paper is to lay out the key legal, institutional and ethical issues concerning technology-mediated Violence against Women (VAW), to raise critical questions for further deliberation and action. This paper draws upon secondary literature in this area, and inputs from Indian feminist scholars and practitioners working in the domains of gender-based violence, women’s rights...
In depth
Did Facebook finally figure out that consent is more important than nipples?
In April 2017 Facebook announced a new tool that will prevent an intimate image posted without consent from being shared further on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. Erika Smith and Fungai Machirori go deep and debate the pros and cons of this proposed system, and how feminist-friendly and positive about alternate sexualities it is.
Feminist talk
A place for all: On being diverse and inclusive @RightsCon
More than 1,500 business leaders, civil society advocates, policy makers, lawyers, bloggers, technologists, and users participated in RightsCon Brussels 2017 (March) and there were over 250 sessions related to human rights and technology. Serene Lim explores the ways in which inequity was addressed at the forum, and how exclusion and marginalisation were framed in various sessions.
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] I want to be a Pokémon master
Pokémon exploded as a game that could be played on mobile phones in 2016. Of the many debates around it,
Angélica Contreras explores the gendered aspect of videogames and how Pokémon struck a chord with many women in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and parts of Latin America. This article was originally written in Spanish, and is part of a column series that explores young women and their lives...
10 years of Take Back the Tech!
Technology facilitates violence against women, but it also facilitates information sharing, capacity building, networking and alternative media - Take back the tech! is the realisation of the idea that the internet can be used to expand the movement against all forms of gender-based violence. This edition brings to us the voices from the campaigns from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Canada,...
In depth
In Search of Allies: Interview with TBTT campaigners in India
In this set of interviews, Smita Vanniyar speaks to Japleen Pasricha of Feminism in India, and Divya Rajgopal of WhyHate. In separate ways, both these are projects of passion that find ways to reclaim technology for women and also others marginalised on account of gender non-conformity, sexuality, caste, religion and class. They discuss the pros and cons of anonymity, how to address online VAW...
