How
many hours a day do you spend using some kind of ICT tool?

Have you ever wondered how it connects with violence against
women?

Can things like mobile phones, webcams, blogs and videogames
transform power relations between women and men?

For 16 days, this
campaign has one call: take control of information communications
technology, and use it in activism to eliminate violence
against women.

The Issue

The root cause of
violence against women (VAW) lies in unequal power relations
between men and women in almost all facets of life. The
field of information communications technology (ICTs)
faces the same gender disparity. As a result, digital
spaces like the internet, broadcast and telecommunications
have become defined and developed according to dominant
perspectives of masculinities.

This means that VAW
that happened in physical spaces like the home and streets,
are now also taking new forms and occurring in digital
spaces. For example, domestic violence abusers have used
tools like spyware and GPS to track and control their
partner's mobility.

APC WNSP believes
that both ICTs and VAW affect our capacity to completely
enjoy our human rights and fundamental freedoms. Our right
to move freely without harassment or threats to safety
also applies to digital spaces.

This 16-day campaign
aims to engage greater participation by all civil society,
especially grrls and women ICT-users, to think about this
issue in diverse contexts and realities. By calling for
all users to reclaim control over technology, we are asking
for the right to define, access, use and shape ICTs for
its potential to transform power relations, towards a
vision and reality of equality.

You can find more information
about the issues here.