Announcing: Occupying Streets to Reclaim Online Spaces

What: Reclaiming ICTs to Combat Violence Against Women.
When: 09 December 2011, 13pm

What to Bring: Cellphone, Laptop, Your Organisation's Banner

Where: Newtown

Are ICT's hot for women? With all the technology and the power it provides to communicate, one often find themselves accessing and distributing information without thinking of the impact it makes out there. A case in point is the Jules High School alleged gang rape case, where learners recorded the incident and it ended up on the internet and it is still in circulation. This not only amounts to the creation and distribution of child pornography but has far reaching implications for those filmed not to mention the role it plays in perpetuating sexual violence against women and children.

In a world where access to information is at the click of a button, we have witnessed sites used by young people becoming battlegrounds where women and girls are named and shamed for their social behaviour and also their sexual orientation. In these spaces users have content publishing rights, where they can just post anything about someone without any kind of modification. What the user posts goes! The ouToilet website is a perfect example of an online space that is easily accessible via cellphones and has a huge following of young people who are basically using the space to trash and shame one onother, thus fuelling and perpetuating stigmas and violence. Women and Girls are mostly victims of these online violations, one look at these platforms one realises how our reality is mirrored in these spaces and that we have to put in place measures to reclaim them and combat the violence that seems to be going around in a loop! 

These online behaviours and trends are forcing  us to re-look at how we occupy and make use of these online spaces. How do we make ICT's safe for women?

Come join us in Newtown at 13.00pm as we demonstrate how we want ICT's back by blogging, SMS'ing, sending Tweets, right there in the streets . The day's action are under the banner of Take Back the Tech, a global Campaign working to reclaim ICTs to combat violence against women.  

For More Information, Contact:

Lebogang Marishane

email: lebo [at] womensnet [dot] org [dot] za

tel: 011 429 0000