Asia-Pacific

Indonesia has celebrated gender diversity even before the country's independence. This is indicated by the existence of five genders in the Bugis (South Sulawesi) tradition, namely: Makunrai (female), Oroane (Male), Calabai (Male with women soul), Calalai (Female with man soul) and Bissu. During the Old Order in Indonesia, some of these groups were targeted, and in the contemporary, there are…

The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum just completed in July 2019 and it took place in Russia. There were very few sessions that dealt with either gender or human rights and none that addressed sexuality. At one session there were discussions on the ICT related-laws and particularly on the broad and unclear provisions that deal with online censorship.

This article sums up the different and important reasons why we should stop using the term "revenge porn" when describing certain kinds of violations online that entail the non-consensual taking and circulation of intimate images. Why does language matter and how does it shape our perceptions and responses? Sophie Maddocks tells us more, based on her extensive research and interviews with…

An understanding of online gender-based violence as part of the structure of cultural and social violence that women face is essential to finding solutions or to combat it. In this article Serene Lim delves into what could be feminist legal approaches to online GBV, the alleged opposition to free speech and the multi-generational work required to dismantle frameworks of patriarchal oppression…

In this column, Samukelisiwe explores how women in the global South have started using social media to make up for the lack of representation of black and brown women in mainstream media. Women of colour, people with disability, gender non conforming persons and others now use the internet to explore their image and their body, and form communities that celebrate different ways of being.

The fact that the Internet allows women to be anonymous has greatly aided in increased freedom of expression as well as in combating sexual discrimination, violence as well as domestic abuse. Even with the points in favour of right to anonymity being far and wide, it is not seen as a priority in many countries. Human rights activists and the civil society are only beginning to acknowledge that…

Technology based violence is exposing women to the entire spectrum of conceivable harms in Pakistan. Victims of technology based violence have suffered physical violence ranging from rape to attempted assassination, psycho-social harms and loss of development opportunities. This was revealed in a research report launched by Bytes for All, Pakistan in Islamabad.

The Gender Dynamic Coalition meeting will discuss outcomes from key processes and discussions on Internet governance leading up to IGF 2014 – including 2013 IGF Gender Report Card findings, WSIS+10 results, and NetMundial to assess integration of gender issues and concerns. The meeting also launches the new “Feminist Principles of the Internet,” which is a working document produced from a meeting…

In India, the largest democracy on Earth, 21-year old girl Shaheen Dhada was arrested for posting a status update on Facebook questioning the complete shutdown of cities for Bal Thackeray’s (rightwing leader notorious for inciting religious hatred and violence) funeral on Sunday, 18th November. Her friend Renu Srinivas was also arrested for “liking” the update which reportedly read: "People like…

Nighat Dad from "Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan":http://www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk speaks to Arzu Geybullayeva, a regional analyst and a blogger from Azerbaijan. Arzu's areas of interest are regional politics, conflict resolution, and new social media. In their "feminist talk” Nighat asks Arzu about her impressions of the 7th…