Building knowledge

There are increasing reports of women and girls who are subjected to harassment and cyberstalking through the use of technology. Harassment and cyberstalking can take many forms. For example, receiving repeated harassing and threatening messages online and through SMS.  Or the harasser pretending to be the victim, and posting sexualised messages on websites, forums or to her contact list. Sometimes this is accompanied by her real name, phone number and sometimes even home address, moving the harassment from online to the material world.

Only a handful of corporations and conglomerates own most of the world's media, which puts into question how much editors and journalists are able to juggle the responsibility of serving the general public while increasing sales and protecting the interests of the head company.

There are more than 30 million people today who are living with HIV. Across the world, women make up for half of all infections, and the numbers have been rising in the past 10 years. Young people are also increasingly at risk, accounting for 40% of all new adult infections in 2009.

Today is the International Day on Women Human Rights Defenders. To mark this event, we call for actions to support the work of women human rights defenders to demand the end of violence against women justified in the name of "culture", "religion" or "tradition". Take back the tech! Declare our culture as free from violence against women! Support the "Violence is Not Our Culture" global campaign!

Across the world, women are under-represented in the news. Female experts are rarely interviewed, there are fewer female reporters, and women are often portrayed in stereotypical ways. Women are more likely to have their age and family status reported than men, and it's far more likely that their appearance will be commented on.

The known statistics on violence against women clearly indicate its pandemic proportion. The UN In-Depth Study on All Forms of Violence against Women found that at least one of three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in her lifetime usually by someone known to her.

Take Back The Tech! starts today on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

In 1993, violence against women was formally recognised by countries all over the world as a violation of human rights, through the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women by the United Nations General Assembly.

Feminist practices of technology: What's your approach?

How do you the use technology as a feminist?  Celebrate International Women's Day by sharing your practice and politics on Twitter!

Do you use online maps to share information about safe and unsafe spaces? Have you made a message on women's rights go viral by using your mobile phone or email? Do you share interesting videos that challenges gender injustice?

How do you use technology to learn, share, create, disseminate and disrupt?

The last day of Take Back The Tech! falls on International Human Rights Day. This acts as an important reminder that the many forms of violence against women violate our most fundamental human rights.

In 1993 the United Nations recognised violence against women as a critical human rights issue that compels State commitment and intervention - only 16 years ago.

How far have we advanced in the fight to end violence against women?

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