Asia

The emerging sub-field of research around gender and digital technology is united in its understanding that gender biases and stereotypes are embedded in technology, and that this reproduces the existing problems around gender parity, gender-based violence, discrimination and exclusion on the internet. This report is a mapping of the research around gender and digital technology in the decade…

Pakistani women have always struggled to navigate public spheres given the scrutiny and violence that they are subjected to. But they're now fighting back by taking their space in the online public spaces that enables them to access an audience on their own terms. Yet, it comes at a cost.

Trans-sitting through Life is a toolkit designed as a board game to support diversity and inclusion trainers and community workers with their transgender persons related sensitisation programmes and efforts. This game is designed to provide the players with an experience of the lived realities of transgender persons as they wade through different aspects of their life.

Against much uproar from the transgender community, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 was enacted by the Government of India in December 2019 to recognise and protect the rights of transgender persons. Opposition from the transgender community was due to several problematic provisions in the statute including the demand for surgical intervention…

Pakistan government has recently introduced various laws to curb online violence. However, the undemocratic processes with which these laws have been drafted point towards their ability to directly target citizens' civil liberties on the internet. Moaz Bhangu speaks to women content creators who have been self-censoring to stay safe online.

Women make up half the population of Pakistan, and yet they're routinely denied access to identification documents based on patriarchal and archaic policies that reject any sense of autonomy over their personhood independent of men around them. Zainab Durrani speaks to some of the women who were subjected to these policies.

The piece written by Damla Umut Uzun explores the research on digital violence against LGBTQIA+ users in Turkiye. By sharing experiences of violence, their trajectory online, the piece aims to understand the dynamics of online gender-based violence for this understudied community within the country where there is scarce protection with a lot of political driven hate against them.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the digital divide that exists in rural Indonesia as the world moved to technology for everyday needs and tasks. The residents of the villages set up community radios to address this gap, which then helped in addressing many economic, educational, communication and entertainment needs of the residents.

Patriarchal restrictions on internet access lead to impacts that affect all aspects of women's lives in Pakistan. This familial control is not only detrimental to their economic and educational growth, but also is a threat to their safety and health. In this series of illustrations, Aniqa Haider sheds light on the impact of gender digital divide in Pakistan.

Patriarchal control on digital access in Sri Lanka continues to keep women away from opportunities and connections, creating a sense of alienation amongst them. Zinara Rathnayake discusses how family restrictions on the ownership and usage of the internet and smartphones impact Sri Lankan women.