ICT's & Violence Against Women

ICT'S & VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

ICTs are both a weapon in the fight against violence against women and an
enabling tool for perpetrators. This article briefly examines the dynamics
of ICTs and violence against women.

By Kathambi Kinoti - AWID

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as the internet,
multimedia and wireless technologies are transforming economic and social
interactions as well as cultures. In terms of women's rights, the ICT
phenomenon can be analyzed on two levels; representation and communication
[1]

a) Representation: Digital technologies have an impact on the portrayal of
gender roles and relations. While the media may tend to perpetuate gender
stereotypes, the internet has allowed for a diversity of input from across
the social spectrum. Nevertheless, women's presence on the internet is less
visible than men's and technological advances are regarded as being
facilitated by the more 'tech-savvy' men. ICTs can and do facilitate both
the perpetuation of gender stereotypes and the positive transformation of
gender roles.

b) Communication: ICTs are typically convenient, fast and simple to use,
and by reducing the time and distance between people influence change in
social relations. They have been used by NGOs to disseminate information
and to offer other forms of support to survivors of violence against women
as well as people and organizations working to combat it.

ICT facilitation of violence against women

ICTs are used in numerous ways to perpetrate violence against women. They
have a big role to play in the commodification and objectification of
women's bodies and sexualities. Like anyone else traffickers in women use
ICTs to improve the efficiency with which they carry out their activities.
It is relatively easy to recruit victims quickly over the internet. They
can also take advantage of the borderlessness of the internet to evade
individual countries' legislative restrictions. In one case, in order to
evade Japan's strict pornography laws, Japanese women were taken to Hawaii
and performed live strip shows that were broadcast via the internet back to
Japan. They also engaged in live sex chats with men in Japan. [2]

In many cases pictures of nude or semi-nude pictures of women have been
broadcast over the internet without the prior consent or knowledge of these
women. National and international anti-trafficking laws do not usually
adequately address the issue of 'virtual' trafficking of women's images but
typically confine their ambit to the trafficking of women's physical person.
Domestic violence perpetrators have used tools like spy ware and global
positioning systems (GPS) to track and control their partners' movements by
tracking their internet use and telephone communications.

ICTs also enable sexual predators to exploit women and especially children
anonymously. Chat rooms and instant messaging are some of the safe spaces
for predators especially since they neither archive messages nor keep log
files of communication. Cyber stalking and digital voyeurism are other
violations typical of the IT age.

There is a proliferation of video games that not only perpetuate gender
stereotypes, but also glorify rape, torture and other human rights abuses
carried out by the player. These games are readily available to adolescents
and young adults and undoubtedly influence their world view.

'Take back the Tech'

The Association for Progressive Communication's Women's Networking Support
Programme (APC-WNSP)is urging everyone, especially 'grrls' and women to
'Take back the Tech.' [3] The campaign is being held to mark this year's
16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. 'Take back the Tech,'
which is an echo of the 'Take back the Night' call asks women to take
control of ICTs and consciously use them to change power relations between
men and women, and particularly to use ICTs for activism to combat violence
against women. The campaign challenges the misconception that the ICT
revolution has been pioneered by men alone. It urges a reclamation of
women's critical participation in and contribution to ICTs. It asserts the
right to move freely within online spaces without harassment or threats to
women's safety. The campaign has four broad goals:

1. To raise awareness about the way ICTs are connected to violence against
women.
2. To provide simple strategies on how incidences of violence against women
can be minimized online.
3. To generate a discourse around the connections between ICTs and violence
against women in online and offline spaces.
4. To build a community that will continue to strategize around eliminating
violence against women through and in ICT spaces.

Reclamation of safe use of ICTs that respects women's rights is bound to
raise questions about freedom of expression and the rights to information
and privacy particularly in the case of those benefiting from the use of
women's images. Discourse in this areas is still limited but bound to give
rise to strenuous debate.

Women taking back the tech

As in other arenas women need to assert their presence and their right to
be present in dignity on the ICT plane. As Jac sm Kee says, 'there is an
urgent need for women's rights activists and advocates to claim a material
stake in the arena of ICTs or risk being spoken about, and for, by our
well-meaning but less-invested allies in civil society movements, or the
State.' [3]

Women's rights advocates are already cultivating spaces for the
articulation of women's issues and the advancement of their rights. ICTs
are being used by NGOs to disseminate information and alerts on women's
rights issues. There are numerous women bloggers expanding the information,
education and awareness-raising space via the internet.

Digital Stories for Transformation is a South African initiative that aims
to raise awareness of violence against women, provide innovative training
material for trainers, locate violence against lesbian women in the
gender-based violence sector, and empower the women participating with
skills in using technology for self-expression. The process has also
created a safe space for healing.[4] In New Mexico, USA the Domestic
Violence Virtual Trial helps judges and court staff learn about issues and
challenges in cases of violence against women, and compare rulings with
colleagues. [5] In India, hundreds of women have told their stories of
sexual harassment in the Blank Noise Project Blogathon [6].

In the words of the APC-WNSP, calling for all users to reclaim control over
technology is asking for the right to define access, use and shape ICTs for
their potential to transform power relations, towards a vision and reality
of equality.

_____________

Notes:

1. Kee, Jac sm 'Cultivating violence through technology: Exploring the
connections between information and communication technologies and violence
against women.' (2005)APC WNSP.
http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=r90501-e91637-1
2. Maltzhan, Kathleen. 'Digital dangers: Information and communication
technologies and trafficking in women. (2005) APC WNSP and AWID.
http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=r90501-e91637-1
3. Ibid 1.
4. http://www.womensnet.org.za/digital_stories/aboutDS.html#intro
5. http://jectrials.unm.edu/dvtrial/
6. http://blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com.