Feminist reflection on internet policies

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) : Violence against women and ICT

Sylvie Niombo with contributions by Josepha Pumbulu, Esquire and Philomène Mukendi
Sylvie Niombo with contributions by Josepha Pumbulu, Esquire and Philomène Mukendi on 4 November, 2009 · Africa
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In the context of a country with one of the world's worst human rightsi records, women and girls are the victims of sexual violence perpetrated mostly by combatants from both sides. However, Sylvie Niombo finds in this paper that the intersections between violence against womeni and girls and ICTs in the DRC are not well established. The interneti makes it possible to share experiences and receive information to advance the cause of women’s rights but can facilitate violence towards Congolese women and girls. A lack of confidence in the legal system and the strong presence of men in the judiciary make women unlikely to seek help from the courts, but there is growing mobilisation of women and human rights organisations in the fight to end violence against women (VAW) in partnership with the United Nations and international organisations.

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Two sides of the same ICT coin - breaking the silence /breaking the laws

 Mavic Cabrera-Balleza
Mavic Cabrera-Balleza on 11 July, 2010
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Mavic Cabrera-Balleza is the international coordinator of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders. Since 2006, Mavic has been a member of the GenderIT.org pool of writers.
GenderIT.org

GenderIT.orgi writer Mavic Cabrera-Balleza speaks with Sylvie Niombo and Francoise Mukuku, ICTi activists from Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) respectively. They discuss various facets of the information and communication technologies and the context to which they apply in the DRC . The interviewees elaborate on how ICTs can be used to reduce incidence of violence against womeni and how it is also widely used in ways that aggravate the violence and violate privacyi laws. They also explain why access to ICTs is critical to the DRC and how it can be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

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