Some newly inspired TakeBacktheTech lyrics

These lyrics were inspired by something Yusuf Jan, co-Founder of Mixit Technologies and Chairman of P@SHA, wrote last evening. He put the following lyrics on Twitter when he heard that I was at a beauty parlour having a haircut and pedicure:Paint those nails and perm those curls; Say no to abuse, you go girl!

Well that was enough to inspire the following lyrics. Here goes

I paint my nails, and perm my curls:
But say NO to abuse, that’s where I go, girl!
No-one’s any less, for looking good
Life’s a serious business, do what you should

A cool keyboard and handy phone, saves me trouble
With them by my side, I do more than double
Digits and bytes, they’re mine to use well
Ours here on earth, thanks to old Graham Bell

(chorus)
Take back the tech, take back the tech
Not yours or mine, it was ours from the start
It’s your life, it’s my life, what the heck
It’s our lives together, our souls and our hearts

Painted nails & a well-permed curl
Though I don’t need them to be a girl
I will have them, sure, cos that’s my right
To be what I can be, with all my might

I paint up my gear and curl up with my pages
It’s my life to live, and I’ll choose my own stages
When I need to I must find my own voice
When I’ve something to say, for that’s my own choice

(chorus)
Take back the tech, take back the tech
Not yours or mine, it was ours from the start
It’s your life, it’s my life, what the heck
It’s our lives together, our souls and our hearts

What say you Yusuf Jan? Are they acceptable? Would anyone like to work on putting this to music and singing it. Yes that means you Rabia Garib!

Of course there is another song that has been in the works for quite a while the lyrics of which were written by Bina Shah. We hope to launch that before December 10 as well.

Speaking up about Cybercrimes & VAW

When I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Press Conference that Aurat Foundation was organizing in Islamabad on the topic “Cybercrimes and Violence against Women” on December 4, I must admit I was overwhelmed.

These women had spent decades researching, advocating and working for the cause of Violence against Women. They had taken on successive governments, had put together policy documents, had protested on the streets, had gone through courts and had been there to physically support women affected by violence.

I was a newbie to the task. I understood cybercrimes very well, I also knew of the harrassment and psychological impact of such crimes and had been advocating against the enactment of the Prevention of E-Crime Ordinance in its current form but sitting amongst these women who had actually been part of the VAW movement for years, made me wonder if I deserved the honour they had bestowed upon me by asking me to play such a key role at this conference.

I knew that I could not let them down, that I would have to do my best to live up to their expectations and ensure that this press conference had the impact that it needed.

Below are two videos of interviews that Dawn News and Samaa TV conducted. My partner in crime, Shahzad Ahmed of BytesforAll, volunteered to use my flip camera to ensure that he caught both interviews on tape. Thanks Shahzad. That is the least you could have done after standing me up earlier in the day . The other talks have also been taped and I will put them up tomorrow.

The first interview is in Urdu with the reporter from Samaa TV:

The second interview was conducted by Faisal Khan of Dawn News, Islamabad:

Jamal Ashiqain says he is a feminist

Jamal is a talented young man – blogger, photographer, social activist, a feminist and the Captain of Karachi Metablogs. Jamal is one of the young people who has owned the Takebackthetech campaign and is doing everything he can to help us get the word out that women should take control of technology for their enablement. Here he talks mostly in Urdu about his experiences and makes some suggestions that he feels will keep women safe online.

Harness technology for your benefit, says Fariha

Fariha Akhtar brings the problem to life – talks about it simply, honestly and in very clear and down-to-earth terms.

She questions (in Urdu) why we should let crank calls and harrassment online dissuade us from using mobile phones and the internet for our benefit.

In this video she tells young women that they should take control of technology, share their stories, form communities and support groups online, take advantage of the knowledge, resources, employment, learning and entertainment opportunities that exist online.

Why did they become part of the TBTT campaign

I asked Fariha Akhtar and Syed Talha Izhar why they got involved in the TakeBacktheTech campaign – the 16 days of activism against Violence against Women. Here is what they said:

These young people are concerned about the society and the world in which they live. They want to do something positive to improve the lives of their peers and their communities. They see technology as an enabler for the young women and men of this country.

Being involved and contributing towards making technology safe, creating support networks online and spreading the positive use of technology for the empowerment of the people of Pakistan as well as for the development of the country is what they are trying to do. Many people have joined the TBTT campaign and are using it as a starting point towards using technology for the enablement of people – young and old.

Multicity incubator initiative

I know there have been murmurs that we have been too busy in the last few months to hold regular Startup Insiders sessions and that we have lost interest in the SI movement. Not true. Not true. We have been busy on several fronts and although no formal SI sessions have been held, several of us have organized mini sessions and have been part of mentoring and coaching sessions in different cities on varying platforms. So we have not been idle.

In addition to our annual ICT awards, the Tech Crunch initiative and preparation for APICTA, what have been up to? Well okay you’ve twisted my arm so I will let you have a peek into some insider information. A few of us at P@SHA are working on a multi-city incubator initiative for tech companies. Serious discussions are under way and a white paper is being developed by some evil forces who want more IT entrepreneurs out there – and certainly more who will be successful because they are provided with space, guidance and sufficient cash in their first few months of operation. How else will we have a Google emerge from Pakistan?

No I can’t tell you more – at least not yet. But do watch this space for an announcement early in the New Year.

Demystifying Climate Change

My long time friend Afia Salam is the Communications Coordinator, Education & Outreach, for IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). I have been trying to convince her to start a blog highlighting some of the issues and explaining to us novices what each of us as individuals and as companies can do to help the environment and counter Climate Change.

Until Afia agrees to do this, I will start putting up some information on “In the Line of Wire” that she sends me. This might pressurize her to set up the blog sooner rather than later.

Here are two box items that she has done for Dawn leading up to the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change.

Feminist writings by Pakistan’s activist poet

While getting involved in the 16 Days of activism against gender violence, and trying to explain to people why “Take Back the Tech” is such an important initiative by APC’s Women’s Networking Suppoort Program, I discovered a website containing some very powerful verses written by Attiya Dawood who is a female activist poet. Some of the poetry is about violence in marriage, rape, against laws and traditions and beliefs that hold women back.

I remember being introduced for the first time to Attiya and her poetry by Zak and his wife Nuzhat who has been an active part of the War against Rape and Women’s Action Forum movements in Pakistan. Nuzhat has also been extremely vocal in her criticism of some past and current legislation in Pakistan.

Attiya’s poetry is really worth reading and has a poignancy to it that grabs at your heart strings. I am sharing one poem below. The rest can be read on her website.

Asif Aslam Farrukhi describes Attiya Dawood in these words, on Attiya’s website:

Bold, different, defiant, feminist… Attiya Dawood is the new and exciting voice in Sindhi poetry. A voice suggesting new choices, drawing out powerful relationships, hinting at elusive mysteries. Choose love, she writes in a poem addressed to her daughter, even if “they” condemn you to be a “kari”, the blackend woman. Do not let love turn into a collar around the neck of slave, she writes in another poem, but you should also eat the fruit of knowledge, then our love will be like flowers and fragrance. Do not talk to me just as you talk to your friends. I weigh heavy on shoulders of father, brother, husband, son… bathed in the name of religion, nailed to the coffin in the name of traditions, I am buried in the graveyard of ignorance. All my life I kept walking on the “Pul Sarat” respectability built by others. I have traveled across centuries to know myself. You cannot keep this voice locked up inside the “kot”, it will not be silenced. It announces firmly that “my hands reach out the door latch.
Slowly a trembling hand moves towards the heavily barricaded doors. This gesture does not come easily. In one of her poems, Attiya Dawood writes that beliefs were written “throttling my mind and dipped in my blood”, laws were framed “assuming my status as a sub-human” and society built on “the skuls of what were once my ambitions.

 

The Boundaries of Love

That you love me, there is no doubt.
You have promised to provide for me
My daily bread, clothes, a roof over my head.
You have pawned my life instead,
You have given me all the freedom which can be confined
Within the paradise of home,
But you have forbidden me
To go in the direction
Where the tree of thought
Bears the fruits of knowledge.
The sun comes up daily
Urging me to step forward.
I have tasted the fruit and I am unbound today,
I feel suffocated in your paradise.
I want the freedom to make my own decisions

The fruit of thought has given me the power,
Bread, clothes and home are not stars in the sky
Which only you can get
And I can never touch.
Traditions. Law and belief…..
Don’t make mountains out of them,
Holding the hands of my thoughts
I can cross these mountains too.
That you love, there is no doubt
But don’t turn this love into a slave-ring
To stifle me.
Yes, you also eat the fruit of knowledge
From the tree of thought.
Let our love be flowers and fragrance.

The TBTT buzz in Pakistan

It gladdens my heart that it required very little effort for me to explain to a team of young bloggers why creating a buzz regarding the Take Back the Tech campaign was so very important. They took ownership of the project almost immediately and have created a buzz on Twitter, Facebook and in the blogosphere.

TBTT – 16 days of activism against gender-based violence Nov 25 – 10 Dec
Ignorant RJ makes light of VAW « In the Line of Wire
FarQuest :: Let’s TBTT! :: November :: 2009
SWO & UNIFEM – Celebrates 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence | Teeth Maestro
Take Back The Tech… « Chatter Box
My Land Pakistan: We really need to Take Back The Tech!
Take Back The Tech Day 2: Happy Facebooking!
Take Back The Tech Day 3: Let’s TWEET!
Global Voices Online » Pakistan: Take Back The Tech Campaign
We need to take back the tech NOW

http://deadpanthoughts.com/2009/11/swo-unifem-celebrates-16-days-against-domestic-violence/

Teabreak.pk have taken it on as a cause

They have not only talked about the program, they have personalized it with stories they have heard and have come up with suggestions on how to counter the safety and privacy issues that women face online. There is a song in the works the lyrics of which were put together very quickly by Bina Shah at my request and the music was composed at record-breaking speed by Farrukh Ahmed. Thanks guys.

There are also some postcards in the works thanks to a few photos being provided by Jamal Ashiqain. Dr. Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia have done a special segment of The LaidBackShow with me to try and create an awareness of the issue.

I am truly overwhelmed by all the support, as is Shahzad Ahmad of Bytesforall. B4A is the primary organisation behind the project in Pakistan (with P@SHA collaborating and providing logistic and networking support and coordination).

There are offline activities that are in the works that will take this to a larger audience. The issue is an important one and the more awareness that is created, the more buzz there is, the more likelihood that people will begin to attach the required amount of importance to it.

We need to “take back the tech” NOW

When ICT and VAW (Violence against Women) were mentioned to me in one breath for the first time, I didn’t immediately see the connection between the two. I guess part of me has always spent a lot of time defending the Internet and communication technologies and that is why I am very quick to react to any suggestion of technology being related to anything negative, or being made to appear to be a threat as opposed to an enabler and an equalizer.

However, being a person who usually gives anything new a fair hearing before making any sort of judgement, I listened. And as I listened, I realized what I had missed, the things I had failed to connect. What the members of the Association of Progressive Communications (APC) Women’s Networking Support Program said made total sense and my eyes lit up as I began to understand what they were trying to do, what they were in fact advocating.

Unequal power in gender relations has always been central to the issue of Violence against Women. Men (or women) who indulge in violence are trying to prove their physical superiority over, or control of, another human being. Of course that doesn’t make them superior. In fact it probably stems from a feeling of inferiority and the need to prove otherwise. However it gives them the false pretension of have power over the person they are victimizing resulting in that person’s individual rights and liberties being impinged.

So how does that translate into violence using ICTs? The same crimes that exist in the real world also exist in the online or virtual world – cyberstalking, harrassment using email, SMSes, chat, online messengers and other tools. These methods have been known to be used to harrass and cause psychological trauma in women and children as well as to be a source of threat to their privacy and confidentiality. Then there is the increasing instance of pornography and human trafficking using a faster more accessible medium. Tracking of women using GIS, webcams etc by the perpetrators of voilence, has also been known to happen.

Information and Communication Technology is of course gender neutral but obstacles such as poor infrastructure, high usage costs, budgetary constraints, psychological barriers, inadequate skills and access have often been cited as some of the reasons for relatively low usage of technology by women. I remember how surprised I was when a young IT professional told me that in his household his sister and his wife were not allowed access to the computer. When I asked why he said that the male members of the family wanted to protect “their women” from the threats that existed online. This may appear to be a case of chivalry but what does it result in? It keeps women from using technology for their benefit. It restricts them from accessing all the sources of knowledge that are out there, keeps them from connecting with support networks, from sources of entertainment, the possibility of online work and economic empowerment and basically from being a part of a dynamic and growing global community.

Women’s organisations and support groups are also slow to adopting and using the ever-growing online medium and social networks to communicate their message and to provide the kind of linkages and support that they so easily could if they could harness a medium that is within their reach.

There is no question that security is important. But it is possible for women and women’s groups to learn to use these new technologies to their advantage securely. They can use privacy settings and common-sense approaches to keep themselves safe online.

The mission of this project “Take Back the Tech” is to enable and educate women’s groups, NGOs, support organisations, activists and women themselves to take charge of their lives by grasping the reigns of these technologies and using them for their own empowerment.

Women need to involve themselves in the development of online multimedia and visual content and online games. They need to be part of privacy advocacy groups and initiatives to ensure that technology and policy is developed keeping gender sensitivities and challenges in focus. The digital divide that exists is not just between the developing and developed world, it is also between genders, also between the digitally literate and the digitally deprived. This needs to change NOW.

Ignorant RJ makes light of VAW

Ignorant smart alecks can often hurt a cause more than the intentionally cruel elements in society.

I really lost it this evening as I was driving home from work. I had the local FM channel on as I usually do. The young man who was the RJ made a few announcements and then casually said: “By the way, today is also the International Day Against Violence Against Women. So guys remember to take flowers home for the wife and don’t criticize her cooking today. After all she is trying.”

I am not a violent person but if he had been anywhere close by, I would have punched him in the face. To make light of a cause that affects so many women and children around the world, is absolutely criminal. How can it be even remotely funny! Such is the mentality that we need to struggle against.

Amazing way to resign!

http://www.thehighdefinite.com/2009/11/best-i-quit-note-ever/

A great loss for the person who didn’t value such a creative employee. Betcha  he regrets it now!

Take Back The Tech: join the16 days of activism

TAKE BACK THE TECH!
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM: TAKE CONTROL OF TECHNOLOGY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
www.TakeBackTheTech.net
25 Nov – 10 Dec
******************************
From 25 November to 10 December, get ready to click your mouse, flex your SMS fingers and engage full energy to take control of technology to end violence against women.

APC’s Women’s Programme calls on users of the radio, television, internet,
emails and mobile phones to Take Back the Tech!

*In Malaysia, women in the community are learning how to blog, and posting their perceptions on violence against women in their own language
*In Mexico, women’s communication rights activists and journalists plan for 16 days of feminist tweeting on technology how-tos and againstviolence against women
*In the Republic of Congo, students will write and perform a play on violence against women and technology

============================
What is the campaign about?
============================
Take Back the Tech!  is a collaborative campaign for anyone using the
internet and technology to protest violence against women (VAW). Initiated
by APC’s women’s programme (APC WNSP) in 2006, and built by a diverse
movement of individuals, organisations, collectives and communities, the
campaign is part of the UN-sanctioned 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender-based Violence which begins on November 25 each year.

It is our right to shape, define, participate, use and share knowledge,
information and technology, and to create digital spaces that are safe and
equal. Take Back the Tech! calls all users of information and
communications technologies (ICTs) -especially girls and  women but also
men and boys- to take control of technology and consciously use it to
change unequal power relations.

Take Back the Tech! will be happening all over the world, including in
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
Republic of  Congo, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa,
Uganda as part of APC WNSP’s efforts to achieve Millenium development Goal
3 to promote gender equality and empower women
http://www.apcwomen.org/node/695.
www.TakeBackTheTech.net
===============================
How can you Take Back the Tech?
===============================

**Spread the word**
——————-
State your stand and help us spread the word about the campaign. Send this
message on, change your email signature or status messages to point to the
campaign website, send a digital postcard, put the campaign banner on your
site, chalk it on a sidewalk, any creative ways you can think of to spread
the word! If you are on Twitter, tweet with us by using the hashtag:
#takebackthetech. If you are a blogger, ka-BLOG with us Spread the word
by translating actions and slogans in your local languages, and
disseminating the campaign and its daily actions through any of your
online channels.

**16 daily actions**
——————–
Simple daily actions throughout the 16 days show how to use technology
strategically to counter VAW. From sending SMS, to making digital
postcards, learning a new software, playing with radio or remembering
forgotten names in the history of  IT development, you can take action
with the tools and platforms you have at hand. Check the campaign website
during the 16 days to take part in daily actions.

**Ka-BLOG with us**
—————-
Explore and broaden the knowledge around technology and internet and
violence against women by joining the Take Back the Tech! 16-day
blogathon.

New to blogging? This is the perfect reason to start your own, or at
least, click that “comment” button to have your say. In Filipino slang,
“ka-BLOG” means someone you blog with, we can all blog together to raise
awareness and help end VAW. Tag your blog posts using Technorati tag:
“takebackthetech”, or register your blog on the campaign website, or email
us: ideas@takebackthetech.net. Join our movement to transform the
blogosphere!

**Start a campaign**
———————
Start your own Take Back the Tech! campaign. Independent and creative
initiatives to Take Back the Tech! are taking off in different parts of
the world, translating content and action to address local needs and
priorities.

Use the campaign website to highlight your action, or find information and
resources. There are campaign kits,  images and graphics, tips on how to
be safe online, articles and links, available in English, Spanish and
French.  If you don’t have an online publishing space, you can have your
own page on the site. Email us to let us know how we can support your
action: ideas@takebackthetech.net.

**Digital stories, audiocasts & more**
————————————–
Learn by listening to the experience and stories of women and men affected
by VAW. The campaign website will feature digital stories, audiocasts,
video clips and postcards. If you have something you would like to share,
just log on to the campaign site and submit your story.

**Suggest an action**
———————
Help shape the campaign by sharing your experience and ideas. If you have
thoughts, email us or log on to the site, and make it part of the
campaign.

Check www.TakeBackTheTech.net daily from 25 November to 10 December, and
take control of technology to end violence against women.

For more information: send an email to ideas@takebackthetech.net

Join us on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/40159
Connect with other campaigners:
http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/takebackthetech

*********************************************************
Take Back the Tech! is an initiative of the APC Women’s Networking Support
Programme (APC WNSP), a global network of women who support women’s
networking for social change and women’s empowerment through the use of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) especially internet,
founded in 1993. The APC WNSP is part of the Association for Progressive
Communications (APC).
http://www.apcwomen.org/about/
http://www.apc.org
MDG3: Strengthening women’s strategic use of technology to combat violence
against women and girls  http://www.apcwomen.org/node/695 and
http://www.apc.org/en/node/7892/

H.E. Suzanne Mubarak coming to IGF today

The First Lady of Egypt is coming to the Internet Governance Forum this morning. This means two things:

1. We had to start our sessions at 8 a.m. today instead of 9 a.m. This means we had breakfast at 7 a.m. and then boarded the bus to the convention center.

2. No mobile phones are allowed so we had to either leave our phones at the hotel or hand it over at the gate. No way was I leaving my iPhone 3GS at the gate with anyone. Fortunately Arun Mehta decided to skip the First Lady’s speech and come in at lunch time so most of us who had to be here for the 8 a.m. sessions left our phones with him so that he could bring them over later.

We had not been told not to bring our cameras so when Brett, our friend from Avaaz.org, was stopped at the gate and his flip confiscated, it annoyed most of us. The rest of our group had our flips/cameras in our laptop bags and since these were not detected, we smuggled them in unnoticed.

Whereas it is important that government representatives show the importance they attach to Internet Governance, it becomes a real problem and hassle for delegates.

The First Lady will be talking about “Preparing the Young Generations in the Digital Age: A Shared Responsibility”. Let us see if she has anything earth-shaking to say.

Did I forget to tell you about my flight?

This was the first time I flew Etihad Airways and I must admit that I was a bit nervous at trying the services of a new airline. But I needn’t have feared. The experience was amazing. I had upgraded to business class because I believe that if I cannot spend on my own comfort, what is the point of working so hard to earn a living?

And boy am I glad I did. The lounge at Abu Dhabi airport was a dream and when I boarded the plane at Abu Dhabi, I was amazed to see that I had a private alcove. Not only was the seat comfortable, it turned into a bed, had an amazing footrest and the massage service the seat provided was just what my aching back needed. Talk about being spoilt!

Lots of storage. A place to connect my laptop and my iPhone as well as lots of storage space for my bags and my shoes.

Choices of movies and television sitcoms and games galore all the way.

When I landed in Cairo, a young man met me at the plane. He looked at my passport and smiled. He said I had an Egyptian name – Jehan was the name of former President Nasser’s wife you may remember.

He whizzed me through immigration and health, said that my luggage had actually not been checked in all the way to Sharm el Sheikh because there needed to be customs formalities taken care of at Cairo. He helped me with my luggage and escorted me to the Domestic terminal where I checked in on Egypt Air to Sharm el Sheikh. This personalized service was courtesy of IGF and Etihad I guess but nonetheless it was a warm and comfortable welcome to Egypt.