Take Back the Tech!
Can technology be used to help eliminate violence against women? The organizers behind Take Back the Tech! believe so.
This collaborative campaign focuses on addressing access and affordability issues and breaking down gender stereotypes through the strategic use of a variety of online communication platforms (such as mobile phones, blogs, websites, digital photography) for activism. The Association for Progressive Communications’ Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP), a network of more than 150 women from different parts of the world who support women networking for social change and women’s empowerment, through the use of information and communication technologies, first launched the initiative in 2006.
Since this year's campaign began on November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), participants have engaged in one simple action per day to raise awareness about violence against women. Actions so far have included:
Starting a wiki to share expertise
Petitioning your government to start collecting data on violence against women
Wearing your protest slogan on a T-shirt
Sharing strategies to make online experiences safer
Local campaigns in cities around the world have employed a variety of tactics to raise awareness, including training women to use blogs, digital storytelling, using video for advocacy, and holding public discussions and information sessions. Check out this collection of videos featuring Pakistani personalities explaining why Take Back the Tech! matters.
Even though the campaign formally ends on December 10 (Human Rights Day), the organizers hope to build a knowledge and resource base across a number of platforms. Supporters are asked to tag and add blog posts to the blog search engine Technorati, use a common hashtag on Twitter messages (#takebackthetech) and contribute links and articles to social-bookmarking site delicious using the campaign's tag. This tactic helps ensure that blog entries, articles and other media produced from the campaign can be used as a resource in the future by others interested in learning more.
What actions have you taken to Take Back the Tech? Share your story in the comments section below.
