Gender and Feminist Initiatives

Take Back the Tech! is a collaborative campaign to reclaim information and communication technologies (ICT) to end violence against women (VAW). The campaign calls on all information and communications technologies (ICTs) users – especially women and girls – to take control of technology and strategically use any ICT platform at hand (mobile phones, instant messengers, blogs, websites, digital cameras, email, podcasts and more) for activism against gender-based violence. Take Back the Tech! accompanies the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (November 25 – December 10 each year) with daily actions that explore different aspects of violence against women and ICT tools.

GenderIT.org

GenderIT.org emerged from the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Rights Programme’s advocacy work in ICT. The need to have examples of national policy, gender-sensitive language, tools for lobbying, and an understanding of the impact of poor or positive policy all within easy access has been expressed by ICT advocates and policy makers alike.

IGNITE

IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology is a global campaign and media project from the Global Fund for Women that explores the roles of science and technology in advancing gender equality.

IGNITE International Girls Hackathon

This initiative is a 24-hour, multi-country coding event in which girl coders around the world collaborate to develop a website or application that addresses a specific challenge facing girls and young women. The Hackathon is part of IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology, a global campaign and media project from Global Fund for Women that explores the roles of science and technology in advancing gender equality and advocates for women and girls’ increased access to and control of technologies.

Ada camps

The Ada initiative have been organising for the last 7 years AdaCamp, a series of conferences dedicated to increasing women’s participation in open technology and culture: open source software, Wikipedia and other wiki-related projects, open knowledge and education, open government and open data, open hardware and appropriate technology, library technology, creative fan culture, remix culture, translation/localization/internationalization, and more.

Ada Lovelace day

Lovelace Day is an international celebration of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM).

Ada Lovelace days edit-a-thon actions

Participants are invited to gather and to edit and create Wikipedia entries on women who have made significant contributions to the STEM fields.

Gender Gap in wikipedia

There is a gender gap in Wikipedia and the other projects in the Wikimedia Movement. This page exists to help store information and ideas and to catalog projects that are trying to close that gap.

WikiWomen History Month

WikiWomen's History Month is a wiki-coordinated program of article writing, image/picture creating, international events and edit-a-thons focused on WikiProject Women's History and related projects. It is celebrated each year in March in association with International Women's Day and Women's History Month.

Everyday sexism

The Everyday Sexism Project exists to catalogue instances of sexism experienced by women on a day to day basis. They might be serious or minor, outrageously offensive or so niggling and normalised that you don’t even feel able to protest. Say as much or as little as you like, use your real name or a pseudonym – it’s up to you. By sharing your story you’re showing the world that sexism does exist, it is faced by women everyday and it is a valid problem to discuss.

#YesAllWomen

#YesAllWomen is a Twitter hashtag and social media campaign in which users share examples or stories of misogyny and violence against women. First used in online conversations about misogyny following the 2014 Isla Vista killings, the hashtag was popular in May 2014, and was created partly in response to the Twitter hashtag NotAllMen. YesAllWomen reflected a grassroots campaign in which women shared their personal stories about harassment and discrimination. The campaign attempted to raise awareness of sexism that women experience, often from people they know.

#FeministBatSignal

#FembatSignal Are trolls troubling you? Getting harassed online? Turn on the @FemBatSignal and get help from feminists and allies!

Feminist Hackerspaces

Feminist Hackerspaces is a hackerspace that opposes gender exclusion in traditional hackerspaces. This type of hackerspace fosters creativity and solidarity through the creation of a culture that celebrates the disruption of standards and thus prevents replication of the forms of intersectional oppression. It also aims to create a place for hackers Trusters1 subject to violence, oppression and intimidation

Breaking the circle

Breaking the circle is an international campaign to raise awareness on the fact that gender violence is a problem that concerns both men and women, which focus on the role of men and include them as agents of change. This year's campaign: "BE MAN ENOUGH. BE A LEADER AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE". They have developed a series of tools and information that will help us spread the message and raise awareness.

Anonymiss

[1] is the yin to the Anonymous yang. We are girls, and we smell better than the boys. Sorry fellas. The Old Spice isn't working for us. This Anonymiss site is committed to the same ideals as some Anonymous: human rights are fundamental and free speech is paramount, excepting for corporations. They have enough hand-puppets in government to speak for them. Anonymiss is always looking for a few good women or (AND) a few ten billion bad girls.

TransHackFeminist Convergence

TransHackFeminist convergence is a 7 day event that was organised for the first time in Calafou (Catalonia) in August 2014. A second edition will be held from the 25 to the 31 of May in Puebla 2015 (Mexico).

Africa

 * Asikana Network (Zambia)

[Network] is a group of females aiming to empower women in ICT related fields. We ultimately seek to see a significant increase of girls and women participating at all levels in ICT. It's m ission is to increase interest in and to enhance the active participation of women in the ICT sector by changing mindsets and eliminating negative stereotypes attached to girls and women in ICT.

 * Feminist Africa (African Region)

[Africa] is a continental gender studies journal produced by the community of feminist scholars. It provides a platform for intellectual and activist research, dialogue and strategy. Feminist Africa attends to the complex and diverse dynamics of creativity and resistance that have emerged in postcolonial Africa, and the manner in which these are shaped by the shifting global geopolitical configurations of power.

 * Akirachix

Is a Kenya-based, Africa wide network of women in technology to make tech and to inspire and mentor other women to be technologists: akirachix.com

Arab Region =

* Harassmap (Egypt)

[[2]] are working to end the social acceptability of sexual harassment and assault in Egypt. All our activities are geared towards encouraging bystanders – normal people like you and me everywhere around Egypt – to speak up against harassers and have a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual harassment. Harassmap reportedly now has 25 clones across the world.

 * Kolena Laila (Arab region)

A blogging initiative in the Arab region to amplify the voices of Arab women. http://yfa.awid.org/2010/04/blogging-initiative-amplifies-voices-of-young-arab-women/

Asia

 * Bolo Bhi (Pakistan)

[Bhi] is geared towards gender rights, government transparency, internet access, digital security and privacy. We are a team of individuals with diverse backgrounds who are passionate about the same causes and believe it is crucial to bridge the gap between rights advocates, policy makers, media and citizens. It is by bridging this gap that one can move ahead to chart a way forward and resolve issues through consensus.

 * [Internet] (Pakistan)

Hamara Internet is a campaign by Digital Rights Foundation that seeks to raise awareness about violence against women online through various workshops and seminars. It literally means ‘Our Internet’ in English and works to impart digital security tips and training to women and bridge the gender digital divide in Pakistan.

 * Genderlog (India)

A twitter account called GenderLogIndia started in early 2013, in the chaotic days and weeks after the Delhi Gang Rape. It is a shared Twitter account that a different person runs each week curating links, resources, campaigns and conversations on different issues around gender: violence, feminism language, mental health, cinema, technology, the law etc etc. 'GenderLog' is a clever handle: read in Hindustani (the common language understood across the Northern part of India and Pakistan) it translate to gender people; read in English it is like a log or record of gender conversations. You can volunteer to do GenderLogIndia for a week and then it goes to someone else. Recently, GenderLog came to some prominence because it started challenging the rather sexist views of one of India's best known, and best, filmmakers; he was not amused, neither was GenderLog.

 * Apps and Maps to respond to gender violence (India)

After the Delhi Gang Rape there was a lot of interest in how tech could be used to address the issue of sexual violence against women in offline spaces. These are not about online violence but have been spaces where tech meets gender and have inspired some conversations about how tech cannot be used to solve gender problems. Most of these were crowdmaps like Harassmap in Bombay akshara.crowdmap.com There is also 'Safecity -Pin the creep' www.safecity.in and the 'Safetipin' app that is a crowdsourced safety audit of public space.

 * The Ladies Finger (India)

An online magazine about pop culture, tech, the arts, books, movies, gender politics and current events with one of the most sharp and critical homegrown feminist and gender lenses on - and they know their arts, movies, books too: theladiesfinger.com/

 * [Approach to Technology] (FAT) INDIA.

The mission of FAT is to empower women by enhancing women’s awareness, interest and participation in technology. We work towards this by breaking societal stereotypes and attitudes, encouraging and enabling women to feel capable and comfortable in working with technology, and collaborating with other women’s organizations to mainstream the issue of engendering technology.

America Latina

 * FEMINIST INTERNATIONAL RADIO ENDEAVOUR - FIRE (Latin America)

In 1991, Maria Suarez Toro pioneered [– Feminist International Radio Endeavour] – across Latin America. Her writings and talks on how the feminist movement relates to new technologies are useful for women across the world. She says, ‘[Technology] has to [be] approached with a high degree of what FIRE calls interactive autonomy. Computers have their own intelligence, but they do not have the self-organised common sense that we need to have a feminist movement: no one will do for us what we do not do for ourselves and each other.’

 * Mujeres Creando (Bolivia)

[Creando] (Eng: Women Creating) is a Bolivian anarcha-feminist collective that participates in a range of anti-poverty work, including propaganda, street theater and direct action. The group was founded by María Galindo, Mónica Mendoza and Julieta Paredes in 1992 and members including two of Bolivia's only openly lesbian activists.

[2.0] Information and Communication Technologies against gender related violence. Reproductive and Sexual rights defenders. Bolivia.

[[3]]:[para la Igualdad]. Nicaragua. EnRedadas promotes online activism and cyberfeminism, and women empowerment trough technology. EnRedadas works with young women discussing the importance of women contribution to science and tech, gender based violence online, privacy for human and women rights defenders and open source software as a political strategy. EnRedadas small self-sustained project, based on voluntary work.

 * [and Open Source Software Chix](Colombia)

International Women initiative to promote Open Source Software among women.

Europe

 * Women in waves (NL)

[on Waves] was founded 10 years ago with the aim to prevent unsafe abortions and unwanted pregnancies by providing sexual health services including early medical abortions with pills, on board a Dutch ship outside the territorial waters of countries where abortion is illegal. In the last 10 years Women on Waves has created enormous public interest after successful ship campaigns in Ireland (2001), Poland (2003), Portugal (2004) and Spain (2008). The campaign in Portugal catalyzed t

 * Macholand.fr (FR)

Launched past October 2014, [[4]] wants to voice actions, embedded in the public, media and political speech, driven by citizens who refuse to see sexism spread massivly without reacting. Macholand.fr is open to all. Each user can participate and propose an action that pin with humor brands, organizations and public figures. It is through a virtual mass action - on facebook, twitter, email and why not through direct legal complaints - the site can act and make our voices heard! (google translate).

 * Gyn&co (FR)

[[5]] is a web portal that enables access to a list of feminists gynaecologists and health professionals.

 * Feminist server summit (BEL)

What does it mean to serve and to host? What should server technology of today be about? How to re-appropriate networks for creative experiment? How to invert, detour, parasite and deflate web 3.0 notions of ’service’? The fourteenth edition of [dedicated to a feminist review] of mesh- cloud- autonomous- and D.I.Y. servers. Welcome to four intense meeting days mixing lectures, screenings, performances, discussions and workshops.

 * Speakerinnenn (GER)

[[6]] aim is to increase the visibility of women in the field of public speaking. With the help of our list it will be easier for organisers to find female experts to speak at their events. We also want to actively invite women* to speak more often and in public about their area of expertise.

 * Pikara Magazine (SP)

[Magazine] is an incisive and well known online feminist magazine in Spanish. They count with hundreds of articles on different topics and receive many visits and comments enabling huge debates to take place. Check out their [glossary in language of signs].

 * Donestech.net (SP)

[[7]] is a cyberfeminist and activist research group founded in 2006. It develops research inasmuch as workshops and audiovisual productions in relation to gender relations to ICT access, uses of and desires.

 * Pechblenda TransHackFeminist Lab (SP)

[lab] was born out of the necessity to generate a space in Calafou (a community in a large former industrial space) for us to flourish, a non-patriarchal TransHackFeminist space where free knowledge springs from raw experimentation (electronic repairs, experiments with turbines, bioelectrochemistry, sound .... ) and self education.

 * Memes Feministas (SP)

[Feministas] is a feminist blog that develops funny feminists memes as a guerrilla communication way of impacting imaginaries and break stereotypes and prejudices.

 * TransHackFeminist (SP)

[[8]] event, 7 days for all transfeminist collectives, queer, trans, women, hackers, genderhackers and unicorns among others to meet and hack together all technologies, from gender to servers.

 * LelaCoders (SP)

[[9]] is a cyberfeminist research project piloted by donestech about the presence of women in the development of computer sciences, free software and hacker cultures.

 * Free Art and Technology (Sweden)

[[10]] is an organization dedicated to enriching the public domain through the research and development of creative technologies and media. Release early, often and with rap music. This is Notorious R&D.

North America

 * FemTechNet (Various)

[[11]] is an activated network of scholars, artists, and students who work on, with, and at the borders of technology, science and feminism in a variety of fields including STS, Media and Visual Studies, Art, Women’s, Queer, and Ethnic Studies. Members in the network collaborate on the design and creation of projects of feminist technological innovation for the purposes of engaging the interests of colleagues and students on advanced topics in feminist science-technology studies. This project seeks to engender a set of digital practices among women and girls, to teach and encourage their participation in writing the technocultural histories of the future by becoming active participants in the creation of global digital archives.

 * Fembot (USA)

[[12]] community is committed to collaboration, collegiality, helping our members achieve the highest standards of research, and creating content that is as engaging as it is rigorous. Decades of feminist intellectual work have demonstrated the need for continued debate within the field: feminist media research requires sustained and often difficult conversations.

 * Studio XX (Canada)

[XX] montreal-based organisation is a bilingual feminist artist-run centre for technological exploration, creation and critique. Studio XX’s mandate focuses on enabling the creative actions and perspectives of women at the forefront of contemporary technological landscapes and the development of a digital democracy that values autonomy and collaboration.

 * Feminist Frequency (USA)

[Frequency] includes the video series Tropes vs. Women, created with Bitch magazine to examine common tropes in depictions of women in film, television and video games, with a particular focus on science fiction. Videos produced in this series include "The Manic Pixie Dream Girl", "Women in Refrigerators" and "The Smurfette Principle". She has also produced a number of other videos analyzing popular culture from a feminist standpoint, such as applying the Bechdel test – whether a film has at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man – to films nominated for an Academy Award

 * Feminist Hacker Barbie (USA)

[make Computer Engineer Barbie better!] Barbie's new book tells girls they need boys to code for them. Help Barbie be the competent, independent, bad-ass engineer that she wants to be.

 * Crash override network (USA)

[Override] is a support network and assistance group for victims and targets of unique forms of online harassment, composed entirely of experienced survivors. Our network includes experts in information security, white hat hacking, PR, law enforcement, legal, threat monitoring, and counselling. Most, if not all, of our agents are former clients. Prior to formal launch, our trial runs had great success in helping victims lock down their information, prevent SWATing attempts, and feel like they were back in control of their online life.

 *  Online Abuse Prevention Initiative (USA):

[[13]] is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing and mitigating online abuse through: the study and analysis of abuse patterns; the creation of anti-harassment tools and resources; collaboration with key tech companies seeking to better support their communities. Focused on creating changes at an infrastructural level, OAPI seeks to help others understand the patterns and behaviors common in online abuse and what can be done to mitigate it quickly and easily. By working with strategic partners like Crash Override Network, we can quickly identify the critical items that allow sustained online harassment campaigns to go unchecked.

Oceania

 * The Good, the bad and the ugly (Australia)

[initiative] deals with experiences about dating and being in love. This site helps you work out where your relationship is at – whether it’s good, bad, or ugly. Single? Just dating? Or not really sure what you want? That’s ok, there’s something here for everyone… It answers questions like: How can I find a boyfriend or girlfriend?; How can I make my relationship better?; What can I do if it’s ugly – and being around my BF or GF makes me feel upset, hurt, controlled or abused?. This website site gives you information and advice from the personal experiences of other young people who have been there… people who have experienced ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’.