Power of stories to reclaim women's rights

The 2012 Take Back the Tech! campaign, a collaborative campaign that takes place annually during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, featured 16 stories for 16 days. Each of these stories presented a different way how internet and mobile technologies affect the lives of women and girls around the world. One of these stories was from Nica and Jothi from the Foundation for Media Alternatives, who wrote about their struggle for legal redress for technology-related violence against women in Philippines claiming that “without the full recognition of women’s human rights, the path to recognition can sometimes act to cripple instead of empower”.

Because, ultimately, what does women rights mean if they can not be practiced? What does the right to a life free of violence mean, if many women are not able to enjoy it? What does internet rights are if women can not communicate safely? This GenderIT.org edition, editorialized by Françoise Mukuku from the Democratic Republic of Congo, reflects on some of issues emerged from these stories of survivor and courage.

Image taken from the feminist flashmob for women´s rights video co-organised by the Fundation for Media Alternatives as part of the actions for the Take Back the Tech!, which took place in the Plaza Miranda from Manila, Philippines, to celebrate the International Day of Human Rights” .