Grrls are taught to speak softly, keep our knees together, avoid direct gazes and generally be as absent as possible with our presence.

But women & grrls all over the world have struggled and fought for decades to access different public spaces; from streets to schools, the workplace, museums, hospitals, Parliament and more. The ability to enter, engage and participate in these spaces is integral to our rights as citizens and actors in civil society.

Digital spaces are becoming increasingly important for ordinary people to find out what’s happening, enter into conversations and discussion, and state our opinions. This is especially in contexts where access to traditional mass media like print, radio and television are inhibited with restrictive laws and regulation, cost or cultural norms.

What spaces do you currently have access to? And how are you using them to end violence against women?

State your thoughts. Rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, ‘honour killings’, disregard for women’s rights to make decisions about her own body and other countless forms of gender-based violence should not be a reality we have to live with.

Occupy all spaces and spread the word:

• Leave a comment at blogs, forums or website guestbooks that you frequently visit.
• Raise violence against women as an issue. Or simply lead them to this campaign site.
• Send someone a take back the tech postcard
• Change your email signature for 16 days to: “End violence against women – Take Back The Tech! www.takebackthetech.net”, or something similar
• Change your online messenger status for 16 days to www.takebackthetech.net
• Call in to your local morning radio programme and raise violence against women as a critical issue
• Start a conversation with your local sundry shop owner
• More!

Uncross your legs, lift up your elbows & raise your voice. Ripple the world with your vocal stand to end violence against women.