Jan Moolman from APC Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) spoke about 'Protecting women's rights online': "Both ICT and VAW affect our capacity to completely enjoy our human rights and fundamental freedoms. Women and girls are increasingly experiencing violence when using the internet and mobile phones. Acts of violence against women in the real world are replicated online, including cyber-stalking, cyber-bullying, surveillance and other acts that violate women's safety and privacy. ICTs are changing the ways in which women experience and respond to violence."
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is currently implementing the MDG3 project, 'Take back the tech! to end violence against women' that includes a collaborative campaign to reclaim information and communication technologies (ICT) to end violence against women.
William Bird from Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) presented on the 'Missing links' in how media reports gender-based violence.
"A challenge for gender activists and the media is to build on the gains achieved. Stories are commonly reported in the media, general rights to dignity and privacy are respected and more women's voices are being heard in Africa. However, we need greater diversity and more women speaking about GBV, less stereotypes in stories on GBV, and ensuring that GBV remains on the news agenda," said William Bird.
From 25 November to 10 December 2010, IPS and APC are calling on women and men to take control of technology to protect the right to freedom of expression and information.
For more information, download the APC's brief, "How technology is being used to perpetrate violence against women - and to fight it".
Copies of the IPS gender reporting toolkits can be downloaded from www.ips.org/mdg3/publications or contact gro.spi@3gdm.
