audio, video & images

Ending violence against women and girls is everyone's responsibility.  In the first of five videos shared from Take Back the Tech! campaigners in Colombia, the role that men and boys can play to stop the violence is clear.  It addresses the recurring problem of privacy violations which are emerging in mapping of tech-related violence everywhere.  Women entrust and share intimate photos with partners who then violate that trust by disseminating the images broadly, a violation which is further compounded by third-party sharing.

Nica and Jothi from the Foundation for Media Alternatives shares their story about the struggle for legal redress for technology-related violence against women in the Philippines. Without the full recognition of women’s human rights, the path to recognition can sometimes act to cripple instead of empower.

The act of storytelling is transformative.

When you tell a story, you are defining the experience. You are naming the actors, narrating the event, framing the values and deciding which details matter. In other words, you are constructing reality.

When you listen to a story, you are allowing your point of view to be shifted, and be immersed into another reality. When you listen actively, you are also moved through more profound understanding.

Today is International Human Rights Day. On 10 December, people from all over the world dedicate this one day to recognise, celebrate and reaffirm our shared values and ideals. They belong to each and every one of us, regardless of difference or diversity, by the simple fact that we are human beings.

Many of us share computers, whether at cybercafes, work, school, or home. This means we are usually using the same programmes, storing our data and leaving traces of our activity on computers that others use as well.  Depending on our circumstances - our countries and the laws that govern them, limitations that are imposed on our right to privacy, or if we live in a situation of violence - our computer and internet use can put us at risk. 

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There are many ways to bear witness. Seeing is a political act. When you see, you affect what is being seen, and it affects you. What we bring into the act of witnessing is the politics that we bring into situation.

How do you witness violence against women? Do you witness it as a spectator, interested only to be shocked, bored or entertained? Or do you witness it as a person engaged in creating a more just and equal world that is free from violence against women?

Today marks World AIDS Day. There are approximately 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the world today, with women making up slightly less than 52% of all infected persons. The number of new infections is still high and demands serious attention, with 40% of all new adult infections in 2009 being made up of young people (15+).

Almost all mobile phones come with a camera function these days. This has made it very easy and convenient to snap photographs of everyday moments, and to also capture violations as they happen. It's important to note that the ability for a mobile phone to be mobile means it can automatically pinpoint our location. Generally, mobile phones can also stamp information about our location on the photographs that we capture.

Language plays a key role in how we make meaning of the world. They express our experiences, share how we feel, articulate our differences and connect our struggles and experiences.

The language used by all forms of media are powerful tools in the processes of meaning making. The language used in reporting tells us a lot about the assumptions that are made about people and their roles in society. The messages framed by the media shape the environment and spaces we inhabit, and contribute to the construction of norms, cultural ideas and stereotypes about gender.