Women's Rights Programme (WRP)
The Women’s Rights Programme (WRP) is both a programme within APC and a network of women throughout the world committed to using technology for women’s empowerment. We promote gender equality in the design, implementation, access and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and in the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate them.
Feminist mix with a tech fix
The WRP is made of feminists and activists who believe that ICTs have a strong role to play in transforming gender and social relations. In our ranks are techies and trainers who help women’s organisations and other civil society groups take control of the tools they use to advance their mission and advocacy. More than 175 women from 35 countries – librarians, programmers, journalists, trainers, designers, scholars, researchers, communicators – come together online to work jointly in various projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America.
Gender and ICTs
The power of ICT tools and platforms for advocacy and organising has long been recognised by women’s rights activists. ICTs have been effectively used to document abuses, redefine history and build knowledge. They have helped disseminate information, mobilise support and amplify the pressure for change. New web-based applications enable internet users to easily publish content, control their own data as well as form digital communities – shifting the power dynamics between information creators, owners and users.
Technological paradigms, assumptions about users’ realities, institutional configurations, policy priorities and legislative frameworks must be developed with the participation of women’s movements in order to reflect and respond to women’s diverse knowledge, realities and needs.
The WRP seeks to apply the tremendous transformative capacity of ICTs to strengthen women’s movements and women’s rights agendas.
Taking control of technology
We aim to build capacity within women’s movements in the creative and strategic use of ICTs so that they can shape technology. This in turn gives these women the chance to explore the convergence between ICT issues and women’s rights agendas. We develop tools and resources for fostering a gender analysis of ICT projects and policies. Our work is expressed through several initiatives that we implement internationally with our members and partners. Our work areas are:
- Gender and ICT policy advocacy
- Violence against women and ICTs
- Gender evaluation and research in ICTs
- Training and capacity building
Projects that are now finished
Statement to the 57th Session of the CSW: Violence against women and information and communications technologyMar 2013
Chat Garcia RamiloAPC WNSP manager
Chat is a specialist in gender, women's rights and information and communication technology. She has been working with APC since 2000 and lives in the Philippines. She is an experienced manager, evaluator, resource person and speaker on gender and ICTs internationally. Chat sits on the board of organisations working in gender justice and in issues of migration and conflict situations.
Jac sm KeeWomen's Rights Advocacy Coordinator
Jac sm Kee coordinates the OpenNet Initiative-Asia Gender Research Framework project, EROTICS research (Exploratory Research on Sexuality and the Internet) and APC's "Take Back The Tech!" campaign. Jac is the focal point for APC's work on human rights, and is based in Malaysia.
Dafne Sabanes PlouAPC WNSP regional coordinator - PARM
Dafne is a journalist and long-time women's rights activist. She lives just outside of Buenos Aires.
Erika SmithWomen's Rights Project Associate
Originally from the US, Erika has lived in Mexico for over 22 years and is on the board of APC member LaNeta. She has been training women in Mexico on the use of computers and the internet since 1991, and is a member of APC WNSP since 1994. Her educational background is in Latin American studies and women’s social movements. She is also on the board of the interpreter and translator collective Tlatolli Ollin/Words in Movement, dedicated to providing quality interpretation on social justice issues.
Flavia FascendiniAPC specialist editor
Flavia lives in Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her background is in journalism and she is currently the editor in Spanish and Portuguese for GenderIT.org.
Janine MoolmanWomen's Rights Project Coordinator
Jan Moolman is a feminist editor, writer, trainer and activist with extensive experience in the South and Southern African women's rights sector. Her entry point into women's rights has been through media - she is a former editor of Agenda, South Africa's longest surviving > feminist journal; newspaper columnist, and has contributed to a number of publications dealing with women's rights issues. Previously, Jan guest edited an Agenda journal edition on technology with a team from Women'sNet, where she worked as the Media and Information Manager. Women'sNet is a Southern African organisation that promotes the strategic use of ICTs amongst women, girls and marginalized groups for social action. Through her work at the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT), Jan conducted training and capacity building for South African NGOs in the use of social media to deepen and support their work and managed an information portal. Jan works in the Women's Networking and Support Programme where she is the Women's Rights Project Coordinator where her work focuses on the intersection of violence against women and technology. Jan is also a digital story telling trainer and is currently working towards a Masters in Media Studies.
Jennifer RadloffProject Coordinator
Jennifer Radloff has a degree and diplomas in teaching and librarianship but has learnt most of her skills while working and in her activism. She has been involved in gender and information work since 1992 and in applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for women’s empowerment and gender justice since 1995. She has worked at the University of Cape Town in the Social Justice Resource Project setting up an alternative resource centre and then moved to the African Gender Institute and lead the communications and networking programme. Whilst at the African Gender Institute she organised the first pan-African consultative workshop to link up librarians in Africa using email in order to share indigenous knowledge. She now works for the Association for Progressive Communicnations (APC) in the Women’s Networking Support Programme and coordinates capacity building for APC. She is a trainer and facilitator and has managed many projects including GenARDIS – Gender Agriculature and rural development in the information society. Jennifer was involved in the formation of Women’sNet and still sits on their board. She also serves on the board of BRIDGE based at the Institute of Development Studies. She is a part time ceramic and mosaic artist, a surfer and godmother to five godchildren.
Katerina FialovaGenderIT.org coordinator
Katcha is specialised in women’s rights and ICT policy. She is chief editor of the GenderIT.org website. She lives in the Czech Republic.