Latin America

The different forms of online violence against women should be covered by criminal legislation to provide adequate protection and redress. However, laws are not enough. There is also a need for education, prevention, the development of defence mechanisms and a legal system that is capable of addressing these issues without subjecting the victims to further victimisation. Carlos Gregorio, a…

Civil society entities, academic figures and government officials met in Sao Paulo during the first few days of July to participate in the first seminar of the preparatory process for the meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, with the aim of developing proposals to take to that forum next November. Amongst the presentations, the talk “Internet governance and issues of gender” by gender and…

More than 40 educators debated the importance of ICTs in edu-communication processes at a recent workshop held in Sao Paulo.The benefits of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools and platforms were analysed, including their democratising potential and gendered environment. The workshop was conducted through a Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) tool that, like its namesake,…

Cris Ojeda, a network technician and Nodo Tau collaborator in Argentina, recounts her experience at a wireless roaming nework training project carried out in Paraguay, during which she was the sole female participant.

Sulamita Garcia is a 28-year-old consultant who specialises in Unix systems and is completely enthusiastic about free and open source software. She is responsible for the LinuxChix Brasil project. In this interview for GenderIT, Sulamita tells about the recent experience of LinuxChix Brasil, which is delivering online courses on FLOSS for women. She speaks about prejudice, stereotypes and the…

Wireless networks is attracting growing attention across the globe, as a plausible way of providing internet access in marginal areas or in cases where costs are prohibitive. Cristo Redentor Telecentre co-ordinator Cristina Ojeda joined a workshop on wireless networking organized by the Latin American School of Networking EsLaRed) in Mérida, Venezuela and narrates her experience.

The belief that technology is gender-neutral is still rife. Representatives of international organisations, financing institutions, and governments simply overlook gender concerns in ICTs (information and communication technologies). Dafne Plou, APC WNSP regional coordinator for Latin America and Caribbean, reflects on her recent experience at regional World Summit on the Information Society…

Magaly Pazello is the only Brazilian feminist who’s been active in the WSIS process since its inception. A member of the WSIS Gender Caucus, she is also member of the DAWN network - Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era. In the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Preparatory Conference, held in June 2005 in Rio de Janeiro, Graciela Selaimen interviewed Magaly Pazello, speaking…

No participation of civil society as observers in the governmental delegations' meetings; no gender working group in the final regional action plan ELac 2007; almost no women, black people or indigenous people as panelists. Although the Rio WSIS Regional Meeting opened two slots for civil society statements in the plenary and produced documents which were fairly positively received by NGOs and…

Hilary Nicholson, member of Women’s Media Watch, shares her experience and impressions on participating in the Global Media Monitoring Day in Jamaica. Her article shows the expectancies and reactions of twelve women who volunteered to participate in this initiative, last February. To some of them, enlightening, to others, unsettling - to all of them an eye-opener experience, after which the…