stopping sexual violence and harassment with technology

There was a lot of buzz created by the assault CBS reporter Lara Logan in Tahrir Square. On the twittersphere a lot of the discussion has pointed to the blame and owness that is placed on the survivors - Still!

There are a lot of tools out there to break the stigma of talking about sexual harassment and assault. A number of which were spearheaded in the middle east where taunting and catcalling are endemic, and little fault or blame is placed on the perpetrator. Instead, the survivor - primarily women - is blamed and her freedoms are curtailed in order to preserve honour and to "prevent" these acts from "occurring again" (wear less revealing clothes, don't go outside without a male escort etc.).

Despite tireless efforts to dispel myths surrounding SGBV, it still occurs and can be difficult to combat because there is so little hard data on the topic. This is why new initiatives using technology to map from the ground up are so important.

Here are some tools I have come across:

Hollaback : Global site using online and mobile technology to track and collect data/information on street harassment.

HarassMap Similar to HollaBack, spear headed in Egypt (in arabic)

There is Visualising Women's Rights in the Arab World is an online space for women's rights initiatives including SGBV work.

In DRC there is Si jeunesse savait an online and mobile support network for young feminists. (in French)

A general project taking place during the 16 days of Activism is Take Back the Tech imploring women to use technology to combat violence against women and girls and highlighting projects. It has a handy map of what is going on tech wise associated with the project around the globe.

On a more national/state driven and generic level there's CartoCrime, and initiative by l'Observatoire National de la Délinquance in France that maps crime in general. (in French)

These are the few I can think of with websites. Any more? (I'm sure there are tons)

"We" supported technology in favour of facilitating democracy. But "we" didn't mean use it! (and more hypocrisy etc)

Across the Middle East and North Africa, most obviously in Egypt, populations are coming out in droves in support of regime change. One of the many positive outcomes from the surprise overturn of the Tunisian government by the Tunisian public is that it provided an example of what masses can do. It created a fearless public face that spread to young people across the region, telling them change is possible, and you do not have to live without rights.

According to the Carnegie Foundation two-thirds of the population of Egypt are under the age of 30 and nine out of ten are jobless. This is similar to the rest of the region, where the Middle East Initiative has placed 65% of the population under 30 years of age. For many, their current regimes are all they have ever known in terms of government. Realising this, innovative programs for youth engagement throughout the Middle East provided and supported by western donors, such as the United States, have promoted the use of new technologies to build bridges and support democracy, as well as to prepare them for the work force. Programs meant as extracurricular activities promoting peace and dialogue have also prepared youth to take the reins in their country and become a driving force for change. Through connectivity, they have learned of the perceived social and economic benefits of democracy. Now youth are pouring out onto the streets in search of these democratic and social rights. They crave the ability to make effective change in their own country, rather than pandering to the concerns of an outside power. They want a real voice – and we have given it to them. Our muted responses, are an attempt to say “speak out, but not too loudly”, but in doing this, the voices will only get louder.

Using mobile phones, social networking sites and proxies to get around firewalls, youth aid each other in banding together and getting a message out to a wider, begrudged audience. The fearlessness displayed by Tunisians and now by more and more Egyptians has shown the level of anger that exists among the young populations, the power and popularity of these new tools, and also how angry people get when they are taken away. The grievances are endemic and structural. They are about access to food, jobs, inflation, freer and fairer governance, services, safety and security, and so much more. No fix can be quick. People on the ground know this. What they do not want to see is more of the same old guard. A way to prevent this is to engage those who were most instrumental in mobilising the country. Actively engage youth.

Tunisia’s new transitional government has incorporated young activists in the cabinet. Persons such as Slim Amamou (@Slim404) are available on Twitter to their constituents. There could be important lessons drawn from this case. Greater support for change in the way that Tunisia and other governments’ reform can be a model for the rest of the Middle East. What governments should not do is pick sides. This is a reform that needs to be driven from the bottom up. Support should be provided accordingly.

Youth engagement needs to continue at a broader level, making sure the voices of both young men and young women are heard. A number of men have emerged as potential opposition leaders, but few women have been catapulted to the forefront. This is an opportunity to bring women (note: plural) to a negotiating table, ensure their viewpoints are being heard, and quell fears of conservative governance.

Overall, if the West and – and other current regimes - wants stability in Egypt and wider region, the viewpoints of all must be heard, and respected. Canada can play a strong role in supporting a new government, providing and advocating for assistance to reform the constitution, as well as support whole of government reform to ministries and services with the aim of greater civilian oversight, stronger judiciary, and a vibrant civil society. Canada, as a multicultural country, with visible and strong minorities and a history of peace we have a lot to share with our friends in Egypt.

All I am watching...

I'm glued to what is happening in Egypt. Fortunately for me I can watch this for work on Al Jazeera. The youth-led revolution is coming to a head with the government controlled, police enforced "pro-government supporters". In a future Egypt, it will be interesting to see how people can make amends with a police force that has been equated to thugs.

Other Arab regimes are falling in line, and trying to buck the trend - Jordan and Yemen in particular. I am most interested (aside from current events) in what will happen with the Palestinians. Will this open an opportunity to leverage on their side a better deal from the peace process? Or will it drive young people to protest en masse (more than usual) against their own government and their current situation? Does the momentum created in Tunisia compounded with the release of the Palestinian Papers provide the perfect opportunity for change?

Wikileaks – What does this mean for humanitarian aid and development?

I haven’t had a lot of time to focus on external writing, and in truth I would rather spend my time focusing on a good post for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (which will happen – the 6th is my personal deadline). However, the fallout or I guess potential fallout for people in the field of development and humanitarian aid could be quite big from this Wikileaks fiasco. I’ll admit I find the whole thing entertaining to read – it’s a bit like an OK! for politicos. And for the most part it says what everyone who is mildly intelligent and mildly follows international politics already knew – it was just never put in writing.

Will this have an effect of development funding and activities? Funding – unsure. I can’t see why states would use this to lower their aid budgets. If anything – it may open them up a bit wider to repair damage. What it could do is make access more difficult. Quiet diplomacy just had a pie thrown in its face and this could result in difficulties for aid agencies and other NGOs in certain areas to get permission to operate, acquire visas for international staff, and have activities approved by their host governments. It will be interesting to see what happens in this regard over the next year.

There has been some writing on what this means for people who work in development – they write much better than I, so here’s two gloomy articles.

-[Guardian] How Wikileaks could affect the USG and international development funding.
-[Globe and Mail] Wikileaks made the world more repressive

Oral histories and viewpoints

UNRWA has put together a beautiful campaign of video histories and viewpoints. Through 15 stories it chronicles the very different and similar experiences Palestinians have throughout the Middle East. The stories are moving but also inspiring, and provide an overview of the vast amount of assistance UNRWA gives to Palestinians. At a time when people question the relevance of this UN Agency - particularly those that assert that it prevents assimilation into a Palestinian state through perpetuating refugee status (which is ridiculous for a great number of reasons...) - promoting the rights of Palestinians and the hard work of this agency will hopefully increase support and understanding of the issues.



Go to the Peace Starts Here website

Young Professionals in Human Rights

I'm guest blogging at YPHR about choosing a field posting or a HQ post. YPHR is a great resource for those living in the UK, providing a chance to network and learn about careers in the broader human rights sphere.

Working in relief or development

As with many of us that work in the field of international relief or development, we're regularly approached by people asking whether we can advise them or their [Insert child/friend/relative] on how to get jobs in the field. I usually rally off the same stuff. However, thanks to Good Intentions Are Not Enough I was directed to this blog posting from a couple of years ago that is really great written by Alanna Shaikh (of many other blogs fame). I may use it in the future.

Why you probably can't get an international job (and what to do about that)

Good Intentions also has a great series on volunteering internationally as well.

I wish I had found these earlier ... so much less writing!