Take Back The Tech! partners with the “Violence is Not our Culture” global campaign to mark this year’s International Day on Women Human Rights Defenders and the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women (VAW) . On 29 November 2010, we join hands in solidarity and call for all of our campaigners and allies in different parts of the world to support the work of women human rights defenders in demanding an end to violence against women justified in the name of “culture”, “religion” or “tradition”.

On 4 November 2010, a fifteen year-old girl was gang-raped by two boys her age at a school east of Johannesburg. The rape happened in front of other students who filmed the incident on their mobile phones and then shared it with friends. Women’sNet APC’s partner in our Take Back the Tech! to end violence against women campaign calls on the National Prosecuting Authority to act against those involved.

APC Women and IPS Africa hosted a media discussion on November 17 entitled ‘Click Against Violence: Taking 16 Days of Activism Online’ to explore and highlight issues of gender based violence, ICTs and the role of media.

APC Women and Inter Press Service Africa are co-hosting a media roundtable entitled ‘Click Against Violence: Taking 16 Days of Activism Online’ on November 17 in Johannesburg, to discuss online gender based violence and resources available to cover the issue. Find out how to participate

Is the cellular phone a tool for oppression or empowerment? An innovative new campaign by Girl’sNet, a daughter project of Women’sNet aims to ensure that the cell phones are are used to empower young South African women through positive self-expression.

The recent South African elections, held on April 22 2009, seem to be the most vibrant yet to grip the country. Political parties launched their manifestos and a striking issue was the absence of women’s concerns in the political parties’ agenda, in spite of the fact that women formed the majority of this years registered voters. This special edition newsletter on gender and politics by Women’sNet explores the question of women, gender and politics and will leave you wanting to read more…

Reports indicate that violence against women (VAW) is still very much present in today’s society – one out of three women worldwide suffers from some form of gender-based violence. As part of the global campaign on “Say NO to violence against women”, APC member the Open Institute in Cambodia conducted three forums on “Reclaiming ICT to end violence against women” held from September to December 2008. Through these forums, they were able to uncover key challenges in the use of ICTs to end violence against women, and put forth a series of pertinent recommendations to be implemented in Cambodia as part of the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

APC member Open Institute in Cambodia was recently involved in a forum dedicated to ending violence against women. The “Women Forums on reclaiming ICTs to end violence against women” was held on December 26th and united over 120 individuals from the government and non-profit sector. Together, they discussed the vital role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in helping build awareness regarding violence against women.