Women’sNet: Using ICTs for the empowerment of Women.

Women’sNet is an electronic communications, outreach, information development and support program, designed to make the Internet more accessible and useful for women.

Women’sNet is a partnership web-based organization with over 40 organizational members. Since 1997, project staff assisted by the Women’sNet Advisory Group, have provided strategic advice and an information strategy team has helped to ensure relevance of information on the Women’sNet website.

In April 2002 Women’sNet began a new life as an independent NGO. The idea for Women’sNet originated with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and was started in 1997, as a joint initiative of the Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONet) and the CGE.

Natasha Primo, Project Manager for Women’sNet explained that their website engages in facilitating the collation, development, publication, and dissemination of a diversity of content relevant to South African women, girls and women’s organizations. She said it also facilitates collaborative online publishing by these contributors on gender issues. It also repackages and disseminates information through a range of online tools. The website has created a platform for women’s voices and concerns.

Among its other projects, a training program trains in the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for information exchange, advocacy and lobbying in order to advance gender equity for women and woman’s organizations.

Women’sNet works to increase the awareness of ICT policy developments with a view to advocate for gender aware policies so as to avoid the continued marginalization of women and girls from social political and economic development. This is why they are participating in regional and global WSIS meetings. Another key element of their work includes helping women and girls build technical skills in computer use and applications by facilitating access to and use of the internet and the electronic communication infrastructure so that their voices may be heard.

Women’sNet also engages in research, advocacy and making public policy submissions on women’s internet rights, particularly the right to communicate, the freedom of expression and information exchange and the licensing and control of intellectual property.

Some Women’sNet projects include: Prevention of Harassment of Girls; Women’s Online Resource Center, which is part of Itrainonline.org, Engendering Broadcast Legislation, and cybercafes at many regional and international events.

Women’sNet targets organizations working for gender equality. Some barriers, however, include inconsistent or no access to ICTs, the high cost of Internet access, poor connectivity in rural areas, language, fear of technology and a fear of taking training with no further means for deepening the skills acquired.