Does new media bring real change? Or it is that we are only enticed by its novelty factor? Does simply putting a technological tool in a woman’s hand lead to empowerment? These were among the prime questions posed at a panel discussion on “New Media and Girls’ Rights” moderated by Sreekala held in New Delhi on March 9.
Hooked On: Sex Work and Mobile Phones
Mobile phones, they said, have changed the nature of business. “I keep one mobile phone for the family and one for the clients,” said Renuka Kale, a sex worker in her late twenties living in Sangli district in south Maharashtra and an activist with VAMP* (Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad, also known as the Sex Workers’ […]
Across the Digital Divide: Rural Women Journalists and ICTs
By Rohini Lakshané (text) and Zulfiya Hamzaki (photos) Rural women trying to access ICTs in developing countries often face the double whammy of the digital divide and of the constraints and restrictions imposed upon their gender. According to the “Women and the Web” report released by Intel in 2013, only 8.4 percent of the female […]
“Where else would women go if not the Internet?”
Urban Indian women use the Internet to learn about sex and sexuality while negotiating the thin line between finding intimacy and encountering harm. This is the sixth in a series of posts reporting on the day-long “Connect Your Rights!” meeting held in Mumbai in November 2013. The meeting explored topics such as tools to combat […]
‘Adolescent Girls’ Mobile Phone Use is Extremely Monitored, Restrictive’
Delhi-based feminist human rights organisation CREA conducted a study in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh last year to assess the feasibility of delivering sexual and reproductive health information through mobile phones to adolescent girls. The study was a part of the “It’s My Body” programme held in collaboration with 15 local community-based organisations for girls aged 12 […]
Public | Private: Define Your Line. Shape Your Space
Republished from Take Back The Tech! What is the line between private and public? Is it the home? The body? Is it about thoughts, relationships or spaces? What about the digital spaces that increasingly take up room in our lives? In an age of social media and mass surveillance, privacy is increasingly being seen as […]